The Secret Hatter
by Mother'sThirdFavChildOutOf2
Summary: Full summary inside The original four kids are joined by a stowaway. Hopefully he will remain unseen so he can assist his fellow villains in any way he can. ow if only he were a better villain he would be able to ignore the gnawing guilt he had for following through with the plan.
1. Breaking the Fourth Wall

**The Isle of the Lost was meant to be a place to keep all the villains entrapped. So obviously no one would think that the Hightopp's lost child would somehow end up inside. For years the missing boy was thought dead by his parents and never would they have imagined him in a place so vile like the island. Only their eventual reunion would not be as grand as most would think. After all, he was raised a villain.**

 **A villain who grew up thinking his parents abandoned him.**

 **The original four kids are joined by a secret stowaway. Hopefully he will remain unseen so he could safely assists his fellow villains in however way he can.**

 **So let the games begin.**

 **Now if only he were a better villain maybe he would be able to ignore the gnawing guilt he got at the thought of destroying other people's happiness**

 ** _Im not sure if there should be any pairings other than cannon but if anyone want's to see Theo with someone let me know. It could be slash or het doesnt matter. hope you enjoy :)_**

* * *

Chapter One - Breaking the Fourth Wall

The happy ending is probably one of the biggest cliches one could write at the end of their story. They all start with the same sad, unfortunate loser. Some interesting stuff happens and bam! They all live happily ever after.

No one ever sees it coming!

' _What?! The prince marries the princess?!'_

' _No way!? That guy defeated the dragon!?'_

' _Oh my-! I never would have guessed that the girl would survive the poison apple and finally be with her true love!'_

The Internet would have hated me if I had access to Wi-Fi. No one likes spoilers.

After the stories end no one really thinks about what happens to the villains. Sure there's the sequels but I'm talking about what really goes on in their messed up lives. There's TV shows, books, and even forums for the good guys but us bad folk? We get thrown into an inescapable island with all our evil buddies. Not even a damn newsletter.

The Isle of the Lost is what my home is called. Nasty place full of creepy crawlers and I'm not talking about the eight legged beasts. The isle is home to all the villains you heard about during bedtime. Jafar from Aladdin? My neighbor. Ursula the sea witch from Little Mermaid? She sells fish bones at the wharf. , the Shadow Man from princess frog story? He's my headmaster!

Sounds domestic for villains but that's what happens when you get booted onto an island that's surrounded by a barrier. No one comes out and certainly no one would want to come in.

Well, no one but me that is.

I bet you're wondering who 'me' is. Well sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I was busy explaining the more important facts to you.

My name is Theodore Hightopp.

Yes that Hightopp. You heard of the story. Little girl follows a rabbit down a hole and finds this crazy land full of even crazier people. My father just so happens to be the craziest. No kidding. That man was bat-shit insane.

But he wasn't a villain. My papa was actually considered a hero in that story. My mom? She was the main character!

Alice and Tarrant Hightopp.

Those would be the names on top of my birth certificate. I would show you but I don't carry it with me.

Now you must be dying to know why their spawn would land himself on this godforsaken place. If you're not too bad. This is my story and I am going to tell it to you properly.

My momma and papa gave me up.

Threw me away like yesterday's newspaper.

That simple. I'm not entirely sure how I even ended up on this island. Surely my parents never stepped foot here. Must have taken the wrong bus or something cause here I am!

And you'll never guess who I live with! I'd let you try and figure it out but that would take too long and I got better things to do than watch the little hamster in your head die from exhaustion.

My 'mother' is the Queen of Hearts herself! Interesting how things work, huh? She said she recognized me and took me in by the 'kindness' of her heart. Must have used too much 'kindness' that day because it's seems she ran out since then. Taking me in was probably another way for her to get back at the saviors of Wonderland. She gets a kick out of ruining my day. Her favorite part of the day must be when she reminds me about how my parents abandoned me and how the only reason I was still breathing was because of her.

Despite that she's not so bad. I'm sure some other kids got it worst.

Because of my parentage, I don't really talk to other kids my age. No one knows that I'm actually adopted and that's a good thing. Imagine what would happen if word got out that I was technically a 'good guy?' You need to be bad to survive the isle. Any sort of decency or kindness will get you killed. 'Mother' beat that into my head when I was little.

I'm nearly fifteen now and I gotta say, this past year was the most eventful year of my life! Somehow I was roped into finding this all powerful staff with four other kids. I would explain it to you but once again I'm on a time crunch here. I'm sure you can find the book in Barnes and Noble somewhere.

While we failed our quest and the evil boss lady was pissed at us, we eventually became pretty good friends. Not that anyone of us would admit it obviously.

First there's Jay. He's Jafar's son and if you remember from earlier he is also my neighbor. Sorta. Jay is a thief through and through. You lost something you might as well go to their shop and try to buy it back. If you think about it, it's actually really ironic. Jafar's son the street rat stealing stuff to make ends meet. The karma must eat at him everyday.

There's Evie the Evil Queens daughter. She prides herself in being the 'fairest' of them all just like her mother. Though with that mentality she often sells herself short on the intelligence factor. That girl acts like your typical housewife but in reality she could be so much more.

Carlos, son of Cruella de'Ville. Genius kid. Scared of dogs. Carlos is actually one of the lesser evils on the island. We were actually sorta friends once upon a time. He'd let me crash at his place on some bad days though his mother never knew of my spontaneous sleepovers. It was sorta like a game. We never really talked about it either. I guess we just had this sort of understanding.

And then there's Mal, daughter of the truly evil and cruel Maleficent. Mal is one boss ass chick. I'd even go as far as to say she was the pack leader of our ragtag group of villains in the making. She's the most levelheaded of the group and so far I never found a reason to not follow her. Makes me sound like a minion but I really don't care. Her evil glare makes my hair frizz.

While we did grow close after our little adventure, I haven't told them of my true parents. They've never asked and I never saw a reason to. In all honesty it doesn't matter anyways. I'll never see my parents again so it's not like the topic would ever be brought up right?

Right?


	2. First Lesson in Contortionism

Chapter Two - First Lesson in Contortionism

Life on the isle was predictably horrible. The food was always bad, the air was polluted and the people were less than neighborly. While Theodore kept a cool, uncaring facade on the outside, his heart clenched at the site of his home. Even though it was inhabited by villains, no one deserves to live in such a despicable state.

Theodore, or Theo as some would call him, glanced around at the poorly fed and dirty children. They especially didn't deserve this. They had no hand in the sins their parents committed so long ago. They were being bred into being copies of their parents. They had no other choice really. No good influences were around to teach them any better. It wasn't like the adults would teach them kindness. Theo shuddered at the thought of disobeying his 'mother'. The woman wouldn't hesitate to cut off his head if pushed to it. She had a nasty temper with a short fuse. It was part of the reason Theo usually crashed over at the de'Ville mansion.

Despite these thoughts, Theodore hung around with four of the baddest kids on the isle. While they all seemed rough and tough, these kids actually weren't as evil as they think. His four friends, the children of four of the worst villains here, gave him hope. He knew they weren't bad and he'll just have to wait a little longer for them to realize it too.

"Stealing candy, Mal? So disappointed," A chilling voice called. Theo resisted the urge to shudder and turned to the vile woman with a grin.

"It was from a baby," his friend boasted. Theo mentally grimaced at the act but laughed with his along with his friends.

 _'I'm such a coward.'_

Theodore took a deep breath and slowly relaxed his body. His grin never left but his eyes drooped slightly, giving him an almost high look to him. His mind began to wonder. The things he would think of making him giggle slightly with a crazed look in his eyes. He was roughly brought out of his musing by sharp jab on his side. Theo shook slightly and turned curiously at Carlos who was giving him an expectant look.

"Well, let's go," the white haired boy said.

"Go? Wherever to?" The orange haired boy asked.

"Did you really not listen at all? To Maleficant no less?" The other boy asked as they began to follow after the others. Theo just shrugged and grinned. Walking to Maleficant's and Mal's home was not a new journey. Their home was huge and dark. A setting for horror movies, really. But despite that, Theo made himself right at home.

"Tea anyone?" He asked walking to the stove and dodging the adults who where in the room. Seeing there was nothing to warm up a hot cuppa, Theo looked around and noticed a glass of something on the table. The tee grinned and swiped it before taking a long swig. "Ugh. Lukewarm," he scowled as he threw the glass at the wall and nearly hitting Jay who managed to duck just in time.

"And this is why we hardly take you anywhere," the elder boy laughed as he brushed away the pieces of glass from his shirt.

"You should all just invest in more durable glasses."

"Yeah cause that's the problem here." Mal snarked.

"Children, listen." Maleficant called. " you four," she stared and gesturing to his friends. "Have been chosen to attend a different school. Auradon prep!"

 _'Way to make a guy feel left out.'_ Theo thought with a sigh.

So to sum things up for those with small attention spans or in other words, Theo, the future king of Auradon passed a new legislation where kids from the isle should be given a chance to live amongst them. It just so happens that Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay were chosen to attend first and Theodore was left to rot in the dust. How nice.

But here's the catch. Maleficant wants the fairy godmothers wand and she tasked the four to retrieve it for her. Like the whole thing with the staff wasn't as bad only this time a team player was going to be left behind.

Or was he.

"So when do they get picked up?" Theo asked the villain parents curiously.

"Why do you need to know?" Cruella replied rudely.

"Oh I don't care. I was just wondering if they still had time to pack, you know?"

"Hmm... You have less than on hour to get your stuff and come back here," Maleficant said before shooing off the kids.

Finally outside Theodore turned to his companions with a mad grin.  
"Do any of you have a Theodore sized backpack?"

"Really, Theo? You want to go?" Mal asked.

"Well what am I going to do here without you four? It'd be dreadfully boring."

"If you get caught..."

"I won't get caught," he said leaving the thought off. "Come on. Think about it! If no one realizes I'm there you four would have an easy out when we do get that wand!"

"He does have a point," Carlos agreed.

"Fine," Mal said rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "But if someone finds you don't expect us to bail you out."

"Wouldn't dream of it," the Orange haired boy giggled.

The only bag Theodore could fit in was in one of Jays bigger back packs. Getting him in there was a mission all in itself. Once the bag was zipped shut Theodore would swear that his left ankle was near his right ear. He was probably a contortionist in his past life.

"How long do you think I have to be in here?" He asked, his voiced muffled.

"I don't know," Jay said as he swung the bag he was in over his shoulder. "Never been there, remember."

"Easy there! I'm get carry-on bag sick," the boy said with a mad giggle. "Get it? Cause I'm in a bag?"

"Yeah I got it. Now shush, we're here." Jay whispered. Theo had no clue where he was but he could feel them coming to a slow stop. He heard loud chatter and an engine so he assumed Auradon sent a car or something. He really hoped the ride wouldn't take long, his legs were starting to cramp real bad.

"Wanna put that in the trunk, kid?" He heard someone ask Jay.

'I swear if Jay throws me in the trunk I will kill him myself.'

"Nah it's cool dude. I got this." Jay said as he climbed into the vehicle. Theo felt himself be set down on a floor and waited patiently to be let out. He concentrated on keeping still as to not gain anyone's attention and gave a sign in relief when the zipper was pulled open.

"Finally," he cried in relief.

"Not so loud," Evie cried as she stuffed his mouth with some sort of sweets to quiet him.

"Whoa these are good," Theo whispered with his mouth full as he began to shovel more into his mouth.

"Try this one!" Carlos said throwing a brown circle looking candy at him. "It's sweet at first but the middle is kinda salty."  
Theo's eyes widened as he finished the snack.

"Thats a winner," he said as he shoved half of the same type of sweet into the backpack he was still half in. Carlos nodded in agreement before finishing off the rest. The five talked for a bit longer, mostly about the wand and how they hoped this would go by fast. Almost half an hour later Theo noticed the car was slowing down and they were pulling up into a driveway full of people.

"And in the bag you go," Jay said with a laugh as a shoved Theo's head down and quickly zipped the bag closed again. The orange haired boy groaned at the rough treatment but stayed silent as he heard the door open. It wasn't long after that when the other two boys began to fight over a few objects they found in the car. Theo just really hoped no one would drop the bag.

He tried to listen to what was going on outside but his mind was preoccupied. Sitting in a backpack was driving him insane. Or insane-er than he already was. He didn't even think he was right side up anymore!

"Oh and Jay?" He managed to catch.

"Yeah?"

"You could leave your bag there. Someone will be by shortly to deliver it to your room."

Theo's eyes widened but stayed silent as he felt himself be transferred to another pair of arms.

"Uh. Just be really careful with that one," he heard Carlos comment. "Jay packed his dedicates there."

 _'Please don't drop me. Please don't drop me. Please don't drop me. Please don't drop me.-'_


	3. Inanimate Object:A Villains Greatest Foe

Chapter Three - Inanimate Objects: A Villains Greatest Foe

Travel by bag was not an ideal way to get to places. Sure it's cheap but the aching joints and bones was not worth it. Theo half wondered if Auradon had any 'Drink Me' potions. One of those would have been quite lovely at the start of this whole affair. If only, if only, right?

Despite being a rather cheap bag, Theo could not get the damn zipper open. It was slightly embarrassing. Raised by one of the cruelest villains of all time and gets defeated by a ratty sack. Oh how the coroners will laugh! Theodore giggled at the mere thought. How would Auradon react to a bag related death? Would they investigate? Put the faulty zipper on trial? Would the zipper plead guilty? And if found guilty, would Auradon throw the zipper in the isle?

Probably.

Jafar would probably jump at the chance to sell such a fine, malicious zipper.

Zipper.

Such a fun word.

Zip. Zippy. Zippity. Zipper.

Theo giggled as he began to mumble madly. His voice muffled as his speech began to grow in speed in volume. The boy giggled between words and he began wiggle in his place. His vision began to blur though it was barely noticeable since inside the bag was already dark but the seems did allow some sunlight to shine through. Oh how excited Theodore was to see sunlight. There was no sunlight on the isle. It was always dim and foggy and he absolutely could not wait to feel the warm rays.

"Zip zippy zippity za. Zig zag zebra zoo!" Theo giggled. He was close to losing it. He could feel it. The silence was grating at his nerves and it was becoming difficult to focus. His thoughts were becoming more and more nonsensical. He was panicking now. Sweat began to trickle down his forehead as his his began to water in fright. His body began to feel numb. He couldn't even hear himself mumble.

Distantly he was aware of a sudden rush of cool air hit his face and rough arms pulling him up. His unfocused, green eyes stared at the blurry figure holding him up impassively. His giggling turned into loud bouts of mad laughter.

"-Theo!

"-He's not listening.

"-What's wrong with him?

"THEODORE!" The orange haired boy flinched at the sudden shout. It frightened him enough to pull him out of his 'tantrum.'

"Oh. I'm ok," Theodore said with a grin as he moved away from Jay's and Carlos' questioning glances. "My apologies."

"What the hell was that, Theo?" Jay asked, his brown eyes boring into the slighter boys own green. The boy in question just shrugged and giggled.

"The zipper was guilty on all counts," he said with a laugh. Carlos sighed and kicked the bag to the corner of the room. He figured the thing would become yet another trigger to his insane accomplice.

"Welcome to Auradon Prep, Theo," Carlos said with a tired sigh.

"Yes, yes. Quite a nice welcome it is. Does this place by chance have a bathroom?" He asked. His grin not once leaving his face. Jay nodded and pointed at the door a little to his left.

"I think that's it." The older teen said no longer looking at him. Theo nodded and skipped over to the door in question and yanked it open. The smaller room was indeed a restroom. Complete with a shower bath combo, two sinks, and a toilet. Theo's eyebrows raised in wonder at seeing such a room so clean. The putrid smell he was expecting was strangely absent.

"I call sleeping in the tub!" He called to the others with no hidden glee.

"Knock yourself out." He got in reply.

"Now why would I do that?"

"...never mind."

Theo laughed as he walked in and shut the door behind him. The acoustics in the room made his laugh echo which made him giggle even more. It was such a fantastic room! The silver handles on the sink practically shined and the tiles on the floor were so white he could nearly see his reflection. There was even a few fluffy towels on a rack near the shower! They looked brand new too!

Auradon really knew how to spoil their kids it seemed.

Theo smiled hugely as he noticed a large looking glass above the sink. With a delicate touch, the young boy poked the mirror with his right index finger but let a disappointed sigh escape him when he found it solid.

Theo smiled ruefully at his reflection. His wild and slightly curly orange hair. Green eyes. His clothes were rumpled, no doubt caused by the trip from hell. He straightened out long, brown over coat and smothered down the creases of his billowy, white shirt. His forrest green vest with little orange buttons seemed fine which he was most glad of. Finding matching button like those was not easy. Along with his outfit were dark green cargo pants and on his feet he bore stripped socks and dark brown combat boots. Theo the adjusted the multicolored scarf around his neck securely and grinned at his reflection.

All he needed was a hat.

The red queen always told him he looking just like his parents. His hair. His eyes. His laugh. Just like that stupid hatter. His face and height he supposedly got from the savior of Underland, his real mother. How anyone would think he was at all related to the red queen was lost on him. How he hated that vile woman which made him hate his biological parents even more. How could they leave him with her? Their child? Was he not good enough?

Theodore knew his thoughts were reaching a dangerous territory. The mere thought of his parents made him livid and now was not the time to be thinking about them. He had a mission and that mission wasn't getting that stupid wand to Maleficant.

-

Walking back into the room Theo found Carlos and Jay loitering about. Carlos playing some sort of... Game on the tv? And Jay rooting threw his loot.

"Got any food?" He asked as he threw himself on Jay's bed. The junk under him digging painfully into his back but his grin remained unchanged.

"No, now get off," Jay said as he pushed the other teen off his new stuff.

"Dang. How about you, Carlos?" He asked, making no move to stand from his new position on the ground.

"Huh? Nope. No food." Theo sighed in disappointment but shrugged nonetheless.

The boys had mostly stayed in the dorm for a few hours. The sun had already set; much to Theodore's disappointment. Carlos continued to play his video game which actually was pretty fun. Jay had come and gone from the room a few times to both scope out the school and steal a few items. Sadly he did not come back baring food for Theo. The elder had looked but didn't find much baring a few pieces of candy which he did give to their stowaway friend.

It was a little after eleven p.m when the two girls arrived in their room. Mal and Evie looked curiously around the room, no doubt seeing the vast differences from their room to this one.

"Jay," Mal called is she walked in and saw the pile of stuff on his bed. "What are you doing?"

"It's called stealing," he said proudly.

"Ok... What's the point?"

"Well, Mal. It's like buying whatever I want except it's free." He explained causing Mal to smirk and Theo to chuckle.

"Ok, so you could do that or you could just leave all this here and pick it up when we take over the world."

"You sound just like your mom," Evie said looking up from her mirror.

"Thank you," Mal said with a smile and a hand over her heart.

"Oh, Theo!" Evie gushed as she saw him on the floor. "I almost forgot you came with us," Theo looked up at the blue haired girl and grinned.

"Seems like a lot of people are forgetting about me these days," he said with a laugh.

"And why are you on the ground?" Mal asked as she leaned over the bed to see him.

"The right question at the moment should be why isn't everyone else on the ground. This carpet is probably the softest thing I ever touched," he said as he moved his arms and legs as though he were making a snow angel on the ground.

"He's been down for three hours," Carlos said not once looking away from the television screen. "I would say it was the longest I ever seen him in one place but he keeps wiggling and moving around the room like a worm."

"I told you my arms and legs were still numb."

"Then what's your excuse now?" Theo looked over at Carlos and shrugged. He just liked rolling on the ground. It was fun.

"Die suckers!" Carlos cried. "Jay, come check this thing out its awesome," the white haired boy said handed the blue and orange stick things to the taller male.

"Guys!" Mal called getting irritated with everyone's loitering. "Do I have to remind you what we are all here for?"

"Fairy god mother, blah blah blah," Jay said turning his head to the irate girl with a grin. "Magic wand, blah blah blah."

"Hey, Mal," Theo called as he suddenly jumped up and ran to the girl with a positively mad grin. "I've been investigating things that begin with the letter 'M'," he said suddenly pointing to her. "M-m-Mal!"

"How about things with a 'W', like I don't know maybe w-w-Wand? This is our one chance," she started, gaining everyone's attention. "To prove ourselves to our parents. To prove that we are ruthless, and vicious, and cruel. Yeah?"

The others including Theo nodded their heads in understanding. They were getting a bit blindsided from the original mission.

"Evie," Mal called. "Mirror me." Theo sighed and sat beside Mal. They had just arrived at Auradon and the fairy girl already wants to go through with the scheme. Theo had no desire to let Maleficant rule over Auradon but these were his only friends. His stomach turned in nervousness over the thought of any of them getting hurt. So he would accompany them. Hopefully this first time would be a bust and maybe this place will open their eyes a little to see that there's more to life than pleasing their parents.

Theo giggled madly in his seat. He began to rock back and fourth before a hand settle on his shoulder bringing him out of his musings.

"Theo?" Carlos said, his mouth pulled in a frown. "You-"

"I'm fine," he interrupted with a smile.

"...lets go then."

"Go where?" Carlos just sighed irritably then grabbed the other boy by the arm and began to drag him out the door.

-

The five teens panted as they finally made it to the museum building. Running two miles nonstop was easy; It was the thrill that made them breathless.

"Check your mirror," Mal told Evie as they walked down a free steps leading to an entrance.

"Is my mascara smudged?"

"Yeah, hey, and while your at it, why don't you see if you could find us the wand?"

"Sure."

Theo glanced around the building with a smile. He seemed totally uncaring and misplaced compared to the others. He nearly began to whistle but thought better of it. He couldn't help it though. The moon and stars were just so bright and the air felt so clean. It was amazing.

"Theo!" Jay shouted at him lowly as he grabbed the other boy by his sleeve. "Keep up." Theo nodded and shrugged apologetically.

Running over to a set of huge double doors, the gang of teens stopped and peeked inside where a body guard sat and well... Guarded. Theo heard Mal mutter a few words and watched the man prick his finger on the spinning wheel. The boy hoped for his sake that the curse wasn't permanent. He giggled when Mal tried to open the door but found them locked.

"Bested by a set of locks. How the might have fallen," Theo said with a giggle. Mal glared over at him as the others chuckled. Jay smirked as he walked back, no doubt intending to force the doors open but the purple haired girl had other plans. Quickly flipping through her spell book, she muttered a few words and the doors swing open just as Jay was about to kick them open, causing him to fall into a heap on the ground.

Theo laughed along with the others as they walked into the building but he quickly shut his mouth when something caught his eyes. On the first monitor showed an old looking hat on display. Though the screen was a bit dark, he could make out the intricate designs swirling around the top hat. The label on the side, ten over six.

It was his father's hat.

Tearing his eyes away, Theo made to follow his friends. Though he didn't plan to follow them long. If that hat was here then maybe there was more. He long ago accepted the fact his parents abandoned him but he just wanted to know why.

This exhibit may just answer a few of his questions. 


	4. Confessions of a Teenage Villain

Chapter Four - Confessions of a Teenage Villain

 _"Stop lying! Tell me who you really are."_

Before we get onto that little detail let's start by saying that Theodore had no intentions of ever letting his little secret come out. It was by a twist of dumb luck that he found himself in this current situation, standing across from one of his friends. Though Theodore was honestly shocked it was her that caught him first.

-

The museum itself was pretty huge. The Corridors were long and winding and there were many sets of stairs leading to different exhibits. It might have even looked cool during the day but at night the place was like something out of a horror novel. Theodore half expected something to jump out and eat their faces.

He would prefer death by faulty zipper thank you.

But despite the lingering shadows and haunting echoes, Theo could actually imagine himself visiting the joint. Despite it being a museum this place was actually pretty cool. It was free too. Which was good since Theo didn't bring any cash. Actually, now that we are on the subject, Theo didn't bring anything! Just the clothes on his back and his award winning personality. That saying, Theo was pretty much screwed.

Sighing at his mistake, Theo mentally reminded himself to look for some sort of lost and found bin when they did get back to the school. Walking around in soiled clothing was no fun. Until then, he'd just have to ask one of the other kids to wash his clothes for him. Evie may even be able to make him some stuff to wear if he asked nicely enough.

"Guy's," Theo quietly called the group as they all looked over the realistic statues of their parents.

"Creepy, I know," Carlos said, guessing what the other teen was going to say.

"No, not that. But now that I think about it, why are these so realistic? Did the artist have them pose or...?"

"Theo," Mal sighed effectively cutting him off before he began to babble.

"Oh, sorry. As I was saying, I didn't exactly pack for this whole trip. So if anyone is willing to lend me their toothbrush or a few undies, that would be much appreciated."

"Gross, dude," Carlos laughed as he punched the other teen on the shoulder.

"I would but I don't wear underwear," Jay said.

"Boys," the purple haired girl said curling her lip in disgust. "If we get that wand tonight, you won't have to worry about something like clothes."

"So your'e saying that once we take over the world clothing will be optional? I hate to break it to you Mal, but there are some people in this world I would rather not see go all natural." Theo commented shivering at the idea.

"She meant we could use the wand to make you clothes, stupid." Evie cried shoving the orange haired teen.

"Oh I always dreamed of being like Cinderella since I was a little girl!" Theodore cried in glee. He began to bounce in excitement around the group and twirled once before looking at Mal curiously. "Out of curiosity, would my Bipity-Bopity clothes disappear at the stroke of midnight because if so, I would like to say-"

"Theo."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up," Jay said rolling his eyes. "You are making me regret bringing you here." Theodore froze after hearing that. He stared at the taller teen for a moment, eyes heartbroken.

"You don't really mean that, right buddy? Pal?"

"Does it look like I'm kidding," the son of Jafar said.

"You know I could never take you seriously! For real man, you need a haircut."

"I agree," Evie piped up. "Your hair is just a mess of spilt ends!"

"Yeah? Well you need a shower!" Jay shot back at the shorter teen.

"I showered this morning!"

"Well you reek of desperation!"

"Oh burn!" Carlos laughed.

"Guys."

"You would know! Desperation is your natural scent!" Theo shot back.

"Guys!" Mal shouted gaining everyones attention, though she did try to hide an amused smirk. "As much as I do love a good roast session, now is not the time. We have to find the wand, remember?"

The group nodded solemnly and began to search the different rooms. Theo took this moment as a chance to look for the Underland section of the building and thankfully managed to find it after a bit of searching. The room must have been decorated to correspond with the Underland theme because the room itself was seriously confusing. Chairs, tables, clocks, toys, and even some cards where hanging on the ceiling; as though they were floating. A huge circular skylight was at the very center, no doubt representing the rabbit hole Alice originally fell in through. There was no set color scheme. The walls looked like a rainbow came in and threw up on them. The walls were decorated in a mixture of swirls, stripes, stars and hearts. There were a few portraits of various people, animals and even plants hung up on the walls. Theo couldn't help but stare at the portrait of the red queen. Her big head almost seemed like it were to pop out of the frame!

Theo turned away from the painting with a shudder, it was a very unflattering picture indeed. The teen walked around the room slowly, taking in his lands history. He read the brief summaries of a few Underlandians including Chessur, Thackery Earwicket, Absolem, and Nivens McTwisp. Theodore smiled at the odd names listed on the gold plaques. He had never heard these names before but he actually found himself liking how they sounded. There were many more portraits in the gallery beside those listed but Theo found himself drawn to the second largest frame right beside Mirana of Marmoreal, the White Queen.

It was a painting of his parents. Alice in a beautiful blue and white gown, her golden blonde hair was down, the ends curling inward. Her smile was what really took his breath away. she looked so happy, so serene. Beside her with an arm wrapped lovingly around her waist stood a man. Tarrant, his father, with a grin just as happy, if not happier, than the woman standing beside him. Unlike his mother who stood there with grace and elegance, his father looked like... well the best way to describe it was organized chaos. His orange hair seemed untamable and his clothes clashed horribly. But besides their polar differences, they looked completely at bliss.

"Theo?" A voice called from the entrance of the gallery. The boy spun around and looked sheepishly at the blue haired girl as she walked towards him.

"Hello, Evie," he greeted with a laugh. "I didn't hear you come in." Theo wanted to kick himself as he heard his voice shake.

"Are you ok?" Evie asked, her eyes shining with concern.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're crying." Theo had not noticed it until she pointed it out. She was right. Tears had began to flow freely at some point as he saw his parents for the first time. He knew he was supposed to hate them but foe some reason he just couldn't bring himself to it. His chest just felt so heavy as he gazed at their smiling faces. It actually psychically hurt looking at them.

"oh," Theo said wiping his face with the sleeves of his coat. "I didn't even notice," he tried to laugh off. Evie looked at the boy in front of her and sighed. she quietly took his hands away from his face and slowly brought them down to his sides. She then took out a tissue from her bag and wiped away the tears herself. Once done, she gave him a reassuring smile and turned to the picture he was looking at previously.

"Alice and the Hatter?"

"Yeah. Mom hates them and nearly everyone one else in here," Theo laughed. Evie didn't say anything but looked down at the plaque closely.

"I didn't know they had a baby."

"What?"

"Look," Evie said as she pointed at the small bundle between the couple. Theodore didn't notice it at first but it turns out that the couple weren't looking at each other adoringly but at the child they held in between them. "T-theodore Hightopp. It says here he went missing shortly after this picture was made."

"Missing?"

"Theo," Evie said, eyes wide as she looked at the boy standing before her and the picture above them. "What's going on?"

"Evie, please-"

"Is that baby you? Are those your parents?"

"Evie!" Theo cried, tears falling from his face. "Ah dunnae kinn!"

"I think you do," she said, her own eyes watering at the implication.

 _"Stop lying! Tell me who you really are!"_

"Ok!" The boy shouted back, his voice quivering. "That's me. those ur mah parents an' th' red queen isnae mah mom."

"How?" Evie said shaking her head and taking a half step back. "How and why were you on the island?"

"They didne want me. they gae me up," Theo said with a bitter laugh. "Aam nae sure hoo Ah got oan th' islain but Ah lived wi' th' red queen ever since."

"I-"

"i jist wanted tae fin' it wa, Evie. wa they woods lae me. they look sae happy haur," he said pointing at the picture. "Was Ah nae guid enaw? did Ah dae somethin'?"

"Oh, Theo," Evie said covering her mouth with her hand.

"Th' red queen aye tauld me that- 'at th' reason they gae me up was coz they coods ne'er loove me. 'at they woods raither hae me raised by their enemy than sit een oan me."

"Theo that's not true," Evie sobbed.

"How do 'ye know!" He yelled.

"Just look at the picture, Theo," Evie said, they were both crying openly now. "No one looks at someone that way if they didn't love them. I could tell from just their smiles, Theo, that they loved you so very much."

"A lot coods change, Evie.," the boy whispered.

"It says here that this was painted shortly after you went missing. It could mean that someone took you and that your mom and dad didn't give you up." Theo stared down at the plaque for a long, considering moment before shaking his head and looking at the teary eyed girl.

"E'en if ye waur reit, Ah doobt they woods loove me noo. Ah was raised by a villain. their villain nae less. hoo coods a hero ever loove someain loch me?" The teens looked at each other for a while before Theodore took a shuddering breath. He then began to wipe away all traces of his tears and motioned for Evie to do the same.

"Theo-"

"Let's go, Evie." Theo said walking away from the picture. "We hae a wain tae fin'."

-

Luckily, or lucky for Theodore at least, their chances at getting the wand tonight was a failure. The security system around the wand was tight and Jay caused the alarm to blare, forcing the teens to run back to the school before they got caught. Theo tried to act as though his discoveries never happened. He caught Evie looking at him from time to time but she didn't mention it in front of the group. Theo was extremely grateful for that. Her actions even gave Theo hope that there was still a chance for his friends to be good. She comforted him when any other villain would have told him off or hurt him in some way. She reassured him and let him take out his frustrations in front of her with no complaint or interruption.

Evie was good. They all were. They just needed a push to show them that it was ok.

Theodore stared up at the ceiling of the bathroom. Like promised, he got to sleep in the bathtub. It actually was very comfortable inside. He used a few towels as a pillow and his coat as a blanket. Carlos had offered him a real pillow before they went to bed but Theo didn't risk it. In case someone came into there room and saw a makeshift bed in the tub, how were the boys going to explain that?

He didn't need a pillow. This was actually one of the most comfortable places he's ever slept in anyways. Though he knew he wouldn't get much sleep. Thoughts of his parents littered his mind. Theo felt incredibly stupid for believing the Red Queen all these years. He should have known better. But now it was too late.

As good as he thought he was, there was no way his parents would want him now.


	5. Just Smile and Wave

**A/N Before you go on and read this chapter please keep in mind that I'm trying to model Theodore by what I seen and read from the Alice in Wonderland franchise. His** **personality like Alice and mannerisms like the Mad Hatter. What I didn't mention before was that, like everyone in Underland, Theodore has an accent. I made him Scottish like the Johnny Depp version of Mad Hatter in Tim Burtons movie. I loved his accent in the movie so I wanted to include it in the story, I tried my best to recreate it but know I will not use it often. Hatter's accent was only strong when he was experiencing great emotions.**

 **Also I was wondering if i should pair Theodore with anyone. I have never written love pairings so I'm not very experienced. I'd like to try though. So if anyone has a pairing in mind, leave it in the comments. In fact, leave any suggestions you ,might have in the comments. I would love to read them and I'll try my best to incorporate them. Thank you for reading and enjoy this chapter :)**

Chapter Five - Just Smile and Wave

The next morning Theodore found himself waking up before the other boys. Which was surprising considering he had barely slept at all last night. Instead of just turning around and catching some more sleep, Theo decided to make use of the time and take the first shower. He'd rather get it over with now than have to fight for it later.

Theodore stood from his 'bed' with a sigh and began to toss the towels out of the tub. He drowsily climbed out and walked over to the door and closed it shut, locking it as he did so. It took him a few minutes to figure out how to work the shower but eventually figured it out. Imagine his amazement that instead of the freezing water he became accustomed to came warm, clean water.

He now knew what true love felt like. He'd fight one hundred dragons just to keep this bathroom.

Not wanting to waste his precious time with the shower, Theo quickly undressed and hopped in. The warm water was like heaven as it beat down against his sore back. Theo gave a sigh of relief as all his troubles seem to melt down the drain. If only Auradon provided warm showers like this on the Isle. With luxuries like this no one would be so bitter and villainous any longer. Knowing he shouldn't linger too long, Theodore quickly finished showering and turned off the running water. After quickly drying himself with one of the super soft towels, Theo once again pulled on his only pair of clothes. Luckily they didn't smell as he was expecting it to.

Theo walked over to the mirror and wiped away the fog. He looked at his reflection and grinned. Though still wet, his hair never looked so shiny. After rooting through the cabinets Theodore found a few, still packaged toothbrushes and toothpaste. It seemed as Auradon Prep thought ahead in case the isle kids forgot to bring their own toiletries. Or they planned for a stowaway such as himself. Either way Theo was thankful he didn't have to walk around with stank breath.

The orange haired teen wrapped his scarf securely around his neck and made his way out the bathroom door. In the main room he found Jay and Carlos still in bed, snoring the morning away. With a grin, Theodore cautiously tiptoed over to the sleeping de'Vil. Once standing over the other boy, Theo jumped on top of him and feigned sleeping.

"Wha- get off!" Carlos cried once he was startled awake. Theo bit down his laughter and began to snore loudly.

"Can you two just shut up?" Jay moaned. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Theodore! Get off!" Carlos yelled as he roughly shoved the other boy onto the floor.

"That was rude," Theo huffed. "You should be thanking me. If you two don't get up and start getting ready, you'll be late." Carlos eyes widened at that as he jumped up from his bed and ran to the bathroom to get ready.

"I don't care," Jay said, his voice muffled from the pillow since he was laying down face first.

"You should. You don't wanna be tardy on your first day of school."

"I was always late on the Isle. Why should Auradon be any different?"

"Suit yourself then. It's not like I have to go to class."

"Lucky."

In the end Jay was forced out of bed with the combined forces of Carlos and Theodore. The two fourteen-year-olds literally had to shove the older boy into the shower with the water running to wake him up. Though Jay was pissed that his clothes got soaked in the process, it was his own fault for being so lazy.

"Are you going to stay in here all day or...?"

"I was actually going to try and find some clothes and food once classes started," Theo said rubbing his empty belly. "Hopefully the halls will be empty by then. I'm starving."

"Well you're going to have to wait an hour or two. Breakfast for actual students is starting now and class doesn't start 'till eight," Carlos said looking at Theo with pity.

"Ugh," Theo moaned as he threw himself on Jay's empty bed. "I'm so hungry."

"When was the last time you ate?"

"...What day is it today?"

"Theo," Carlos gaped. "Really?"

"Come on, Carlos. This is nothing new."

"I know. We've all been there but I thought you grabbed something by now."

"Never got the chance."

"If anything, we'll start bringing stuff from meal time for you."

"Thanks, Carlos," Theo said smiling gratefully at the teen.

Theo was left alone once the other boys had gone to breakfast. With nothing better to do the teen began to jump back and fourth from the two beds. After a while the repetitiveness of his game became dull so he began to jump across any piece of furniture that could hold his weight. It wasn't long before he managed to significantly damage an end table with an untimed leap. Theo stared down at the destroyed table with a grimace. Only the first day and he was already ruining property. Mal would be so proud.

Instead of worrying about his blunder, Theo casually threw a wet towel over it, hoping that no one would notice or at least blame Jay.

Looking over at the clock, Theodore grinned when he noticed it was a bit after eight thirty. Meaning the students and teachers should have been in class for a little over half an hour. With that in mind Theodore walked towards the door with a slight bounce in his step. He decided to forgo his coat since it was a bit warm out and grabbed a spare backpack he had found when rummaging through the drawers. It was a just brown back pack with the school crest in the front which was great since it would help him blend in with the other students.

Taking a deep breath, Theodore quietly made his way out the door. He tried his best to look like he knew where he was going but the long halls all looked very similar so it quickly got confusing to the poor teen; Especially since this was his first time venturing out of the dorm. Theo made sure to keep track of every hall so he wouldn't be lost on his way back.

Luckily there wasn't many people walking around. There were a few close calls but Theo's quick thinking got him out of those messy situations. Though he did wonder how he wasn't caught already. His methods of hiding conceded of jumping into bushes, and going under tables, chairs, and window curtains. While his heart continued to race with the level of anxiety Theo couldn't help but think it was sorta fun.

It was like a game of hide and seek only the seekers didn't know they were playing.

It was all fun and games until the first bell had rung, signaling the end of first period. Students began to come out of classrooms and into the halls. Theo didn't have a chance to hide but luckily no one seemed to notice him as the students were all rushing around to their lockers or friends. The orange haired teen sighed in relief before falling into step with a few kids as to look natural. Eventually he had to break away once he caught a few curious glances thrown his way.

Theo casually walked into the first room he could reach. He clumsily closed the door and leaned back into it with a sigh in relief. Looking up almost made his heart jump out of his chest.

He had finally found the kitchen.

Theo made a mental note of where the room was in case he needed to come back. As he ventured in further, the teen closed his eyes in pure bliss. The smells emitting from the room was heavenly. He couldn't quite describe anything like it. Forgoing his cautiousness Theodore nearly sprinted to the huge fridge in the corner of the room and pulled it open. What was inside nearly had him weeping.

Food. A glorious amount of different colored and sized food. What was all the more alarming was how fresh it all seemed. The fruit were free of bruises and the milk was free of clumps. It was beautiful. Theo grabbed a red apple and took a huge bite, swooning as the fruit's juice hit his tastebuds. It tasted so... Crisp. His mind couldn't even formulate the words his brain was trying to give him.

Theo glanced around the fully stocked kitchen and grinned madly. He and the other descendants would feast tonight. With that in mind, Theo quickly pulled off his backpack and set it on the center counter. As quickly as he could he began to stuff the bag with as many fruits, canned drinks, and other foods without making it look as though the kitchen was raided as much as he could.

Theo zipped the bag up once the bag was nearly bursting at the brim. He figured he might as well eat while he was there so he then began to fix himself up a sandwich. He also grabbed another can of fruit juice and hopped onto the center table to eat his meal. Theo was so engrossed with his food that he never noticed the door to the kitchen swing open and the person coming in freeze in confusion.

Ben was having an off day. He had not had a class with any of the villain kids yet and honestly, he didn't think he would have made it through the day without thinking about them. With everyone badgering him about his declaration to give the isle kids a chance Ben was half ready to run home. Not very princely but he couldn't care less. The only reason he was at school was because the new kids may need his help. It was their first day after all. Though he realized that being who they were, they wouldn't approach him for anything. He only wished he could gain their trust faster. Ben really wanted this to work.

He couldn't take anymore of Audrey's and Chad's little 'talks.' They were seriously grating on his nerves. You would think his girlfriend and best friend would be more supporting.

Because of that he had asked his second period professor if he could be dismissed. It only took telling the kind woman that he was feeling really stressed over the coronation and couldn't concentrate to get a pass out of there.

Ben paused as he was passing by the kitchen. He swore he heard some movement which was very odd. The chefs wouldn't start preparing lunch until next period. Whoever was in there was obviously not authorized. Thinking it was one of the Isle kids getting a snack, Ben shrugged and walked in. What or who he saw made him freeze.

He's never seen orange hair that bright on a student here.

The other boy, seemingly his age or maybe a bit younger, was sitting atop of the counter the chefs used to cook on. The teen was munching on a huge sandwich, swinging his legs back and forth without a care in the world. Ben cleared his throat but the other either didn't hear him or was purposely ignoring him. The prince titled his head at the treatment. No one, bar the Isle kids, had ever just dismissed him like that. In truth it was very refreshing.

"Excuse me?" Ben called finally gaining the kid's attention. The orange haired boy froze at the sudden voice and swallowed the piece of food he was chewing on.

Theodore's shoulders tensed as he slowly set the sandwich down on the counter. Theo sat staring at the wall, refusing to turn around in hopes the intruder would just leave. But of course nothing is that easy.

"Hey, man. It's cool," the boy said walking over to Theo. "You miss breakfast or something?"

Theo nodded turning his body slightly away from the guy.

"You're not in trouble if that's what your thinking."

"Aam nae?" Theodore asked, mentality kicking himself over the fact his accent got thicker in his nervousness.

"Of course not," the teen laughed. He moved closer to Theodore trying to get a closer look at his face but Theo moved again. "No one can really blame you for getting hungry."

"Yoo'd be surprised," Theo mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Naethin'." Theo took a deep breath before quickly glancing at the intruder. His green eyes widened when he recognized the future Prince of Auradon and he quickly jumped off the counter to face him. "Mah apologies, yer majesty. Ah did nae realize fa ye waur," he said bowing his head slightly.

"No it's ok," the prince laughed. "And please. Call me Ben."

"Ben 'en," Theodore nodded before he paused and stared intently at the prince. "Did ah jist make a rhyme?"

"I think you did," Ben laughed. "I'm sorry but I can't seem to recognize you."

"Ah, um nae a surprise. Ah loch tae keep tae myself," Theo stuttered.

"Still, I feel rude. What did you say your name was again?"

"Ah didne. but fowk caa me, uh, T-Teddy," Theo replied thinking of a name that seemed as far away from villainous as possible.

"Well, Teddy, what are you doing out of class?" Ben asked. The prince then laughed in embarrassment when the younger pointedly looked at the half eaten sandwich. "Right," he nodded.

"An' ye? whit brings ye haur?"

Ben sighed and hopped on the counter with a sigh. Theo just shrugged and copied his actions, grabbing his sandwich once he was settled. Theo waited patiently for the other to start talking by going back to devouring his food.

"I'm just... Sick of some people telling me this was all a bad idea. I'm sure you heard about my proclamation to bring the Isle kids here. No one thinks it's a good idea. It just- it just makes me so angry that Auradon is so set on abandoning all those children. It's not right!" Ben growled. The prince jumped off the counter and began to pace the kitchen floor. "We are supposed to be the good guys! What happened to kindness and forgiveness? Those kids are not at fault."

Theo looked over at the prince in shock and awe. He was truly set on saving them. Even though most of the kids on the Isle didn't want to be saved. Someone cared.

"Ah hink whit yer daein' is great," Theo said quietly, setting his sandwich down suddenly not hungry anymore. "Ye hae yer heart in th' reit place, ben. Ah admire ye fur 'at. Ah jist fin' it a crazy 'at ye, a sixteen year auld lad coods be sae open minded. hoo a maur lad coods shaw sic' maturity. if thes waur a democracy, eh'd vote fur ye."

Ben laughed and gave Theo a thankful smile. His shoulder seemed less tense as he looked at the orange haired boy in relief.

"Thank you, Teddy. If only there were more people like you to understand." Theo shrugged and chugged down the last bit of his juice.

"Ah, don't thank me, Prince. I should be thanking 'ye," Theo said, smiling as his accent lessened. Ben grinned back, noticing the change and nodded. " fur all it's worth, I think you are going to be an amazin' kin'."

Theo and Ben sat in silence for a little longer. Theo finishing off his sandwich and Ben thinking over what Theo had said to him. It wasn't long before the bell rang that Ben had said they should head back to class. On their way out, Theo turned to the direction of the dorm and Ben the opposite way.

"Hey, Teddy?" Ben called, gaining his attention. "We should hang out more."

Theo nodded with a grin and waved at the prince before he walked away. Once out of sight, the orange haired teen leaned against the wall and sighed in relief. He wasn't caught and all was well.

Once he finally made it into the boys dorm room, Theo carefully set his bag of goods on the desk table. The teen silently stared at it for a minute before grinning madly. Maybe Ben could be the one to convince his friends there was a better way. He certainly brought things into perspective. Thinking back on the conversation, Theo sniffed before giggling.

Teddy fit him better than Theo anyways.


	6. Hot'n'Spicy Cookies

Chapter Six - Hot'n'Spicy Cookies

It was apparent that the first day of classes were... Interesting to say the least. Carlos and Jay had both joined some sort of sport team, Evie fell in love with some prince, and Mal, well Mal became some sort of hair dresser. If Mal's new occupation wasn't uncharacteristic enough for you then you should just see Carlos. The timid boy, one who feared dogs and hell, his own shadow, was carrying a medium sized canine.

One day of school and his friends all managed to surprise him. It was great.

Besides Mal, who couldn't seem to stop thinking about that damned wand, were having, dare I say it, fun. They genuinely looked to be enjoying their first day. Theodore was ecstatic of this revelation. His friends deserved happiness.

Classes were over for the day and Theodore was waiting for his friends to come back to the dorm. He would have gone to the girl's room but he had no idea where it was. That and with Mal's new found popularity there was bound to be a few students in there as well. He heard the commotion about the purple haired girl's magic skills and was sorta disbelieving. It wasn't until he heard she helped out the fairy godmother's kid that he understood.

If it were any other time Theo would be concerned over Mal's free use of magic. Last he heard, Auradon was a magic free place now. Stupid really. Everyone wants a magical solution to their problem, and yet, everyone refuses to believe in magic. Magic was real. Everyone knows that. Its there, lingering under the surface. One day this whole ignoring magic thing was going to bite Auradon in the ass.

He just hoped Mal's use of magic wouldn't get her kicked out.

Currently Theodore sat in the dorm sorting through his bag of goodies. He couldn't help but marvel at the bright colors each item had. Some food items he couldn't even name. There was one tiny fruit thing that was about the size of his pinky finger but shaped and colored like a banana. It didn't give off any smell and he couldn't figure out how to peel the damn thing.

Theodore liked bananas enough. He thought the tiny banana he found was rather cute.

As he was contemplating the tiny fruits existence, Jay and Carlos walked in the room looking rather cheerful. The pair chatted animately as they dropped their school stuff on the floor near the door. Carlos looked over at the orange haired teen and laughed joyously when he noticed the pile of food on Jay's bed.

"Whoa! You scored big time," He cried as he grabbed a peach. Theodore nodded with a huge grin before tossing a quarter of a loaf of bed to Jay.

"It's all so...clean!" Theodore laughed as he inspected his tiny banana once more.

"What's that?" Jay asked pointing at the little yellow thing.

"Baby banana maybe?"

"I don't think so," Carlos said, looking at it closely as well. "It looks shinier than a banana."

"I'm not sure how to peel it," Theodore admitted before giving the fruit a tentative lick.

"Just bite it then," Jay said with a shrug. Theodore stared at him for a moment before shrugging and popping the itty-bitty banana in his mouth. Theo began to chew, his expression curious before he gave a small smile in appreciation. It was no where sweet like a banana. It was acidic, tangy and very juicy. Theo was about to tell the two other boys the unknown fruit wasn't bad when out of nowhere...

"HOOOOTTT!" Theo cried jumping off the bed. The boy's face immediately turned red, his eyes watering as he ran around the room in pain. Carlos and Jay watched as the other boy ran about looking for something to drink to alleviate his pain. It wasn't long before the two boys began to laugh. Jay literally falling to the floor in mirth.

"Here," Carlos laughed throwing Theodore a water bottle. Theo didn't notice so he got a face full of plastic. Being in too much pain to glare at the de'Vil Theodore just ripped the cap off and chugged the water down, the cool drink calming the burning sensation on his tongue. Theo sighed at the almost instant relief the water provided. He then turned to glare at the other teens.

"Stahp laughin'," Theo said with lisp. "it's not fuhnny."

"Y-you should have seen your face!"

"I never seen it so red!"

"You were nearly crying, dude!"

"Those things are definitely not bananas," Carlos said once his laughter died out. "Im guessing you didn't like it?" Theo glared at the teen before turning away from the pair and crossing his arms.

"Awe come on, Theo," Jay laughed slinging his arm over the smaller teens shoulders. "Don't be like that." Carlos laughed as he walked over as well, bumping his shoulder against him.

"We'll keep you away from the tiny evil bananas." Theo looked at the two in front of him before sheepishly smiling.

"They actually weren't that bad. The spiciness was just a shock. I'm sure if I hadn't eaten the whole thing in one go, it would have been better," he told them, completely meaning it too.

"Really?" Jay asked as he leaned over to pick up one of the yellow fruit on his bed. Carlos grabbed one too before looking at the long haired teen and shrugging.

"Well," Carlos said staring at the not-banana. "Bottoms up."

It turns out that like Theodore, Carlos had as little or less tolerance to the heat as he did. Jay, though, ate the tiny sucker like nothing. In fact, the older teen actually seemed to enjoy the burning sensation. Jay liked them so much to even going as far as to stuffing his pockets with the remaining bit of the yellow stuff.

"What?" Jay asked when he caught Carlos' and Theodore's incredulous looks. "I like them."

After putting away the goods in various hidden locations around the room, the boys walked into the hall and towards Mal and Evie's room. Theodore didn't exactly know what was going on but he was just glad they decided to include him as well. He knew they had some sort of plan running through their minds as he led them towards the kitchen but it seemed as though he was going to be kept out of the loop for a while.

"Seriously?" Theo laughed as he watched the two girls mix a few ingredients. "We're making cookies?" Theodore began to giggle uncontrollably when Carlos turned to him and nodded. He thought they had asked him to lead them to the kitchens for some scheme but here they are, making cookies. So domestic.

"Not just any cookies, Theo," Evie said as she turned slightly to smile at the boy. Theodore's giggles immediately died down. He sat rigged on the counter next to Carlos as he looked at everyone, including the dog, to fill him in.

"Ben's coronation is next Friday and the fairy godmother uses her wand to bless him during the ceremony. Only Ben, his parents, and girlfriend could sit at the front, close enough to grab the wand and run," Mal explained.

"We are lacing the cookies with a love potion so Ben will ask Mal to be his girlfriend," Jay finished.

"Love potion?" Theo whispered in shock. "T-that's-"

"Brilliant?" Mal laughed cutting him off.

"-Horrible." Mal turned to Theodore with a grin and nodded before turning back to the mixing bowl.

"I know. Thank you," she said.

"No. I mean you shouldn't do this, Mal!" He cried. Everyone froze as they turned to the orange haired teen who stared at Mal with a furious expression.

"What?" Mal deadly whispered as she set down the whisk to turn to him.

"You- you're takin' awa' his free will!" He shouted at her as he jumped off the counter. Theodore walked over to Mal, standing literally inches away from her face. "That's th' most vilest thing ye hae ever done!"

"That's sorta the point, Theodore," Mal growled back at him. Her eyes began to flash green as she held back at physically hurting her friend.

"The lad has dain naethin' but welcome ye aw here. He wanted tae gie ye a chance tae be yer ain person an' thes is hoo ye repay him? By druggin' him? Ah ken ye aw ur tryin' tae please yer parents but this- thes has gain tay far!"

"Are you backing out now?" She shouted back. "After everything we've done. This is what draws the line! You are evil, Theodore. Taking away free will is what we do."

"Is it really," he whispered angrily. "Or is it whit yer maw, yer parents, dae?" Theo's head snapped to the side suddenly. His cheek stinging horribly as he looked at Mal. The purple haired girl looked at the boy in shock. Her hand still raised from when she had struck him. The room was deathly silent as everyone waited for someone to do or say something.

"T-Theo," Mal choked as she looked at her hand, horrified at what she had just done. Theo just shook his head and gave her a small smile.

"Hoo did it feel?" He whispered. "Ah can teel ye aren't bad, Mal. nane of ye are. Yoo're scared an' that's awe rite. We are not on th' islain anymair I'm gonnae say it. Ah caur fur each an' everyone of ye. Ah want what's best fur you all an' Ah want ye aw tae be happy. If stealin' thes wain makes ye happy, Ah will stand behin' ye. But dornt mistake yer parents happiness fur yer own." Mal looked at Theodore with her lips pierced before looking down at her feet for a moment. Evie, Carlos, and Jay waited in bated breath as the room seemed to loose its tension. Finally after what seemed like forever did she look back at Theodore with a small smile.

"I can never understand you when you get all emotional," she said causing the group to laugh a little. "Making my mom happy makes me happy, Theo. But I'm not doing this just for her. I'm doing this for all of us. I don't want to go back to how things were in the Isle. I want fresh food, TV, wifi. I want to live like how people live here."

"I want my own bed," Carlos said.

"All the mirrors here are flawless," Evie agreed.

"Tourney is the coolest thing I have done since, well since ever," Jay admitted.

"See, Theo," Mal said gesturing towards everyone else. "The wand will give us all of that and more."

"We coods get aw of thes an' mair a different way," Theo whispered. The others stayed quiet for a moment before Mal shook her head.

"This is easier." That was the last thing anyone said before continuing on with the batch of cookies. Theodore sat back at the counter, his heart feeling like it shattered in a million pieces as he stared at the wall across from him. On one hand he was dismayed over what his friends were going to do to the nice boy he met earlier. On the other hand he was confused as to why Mal and the others let him be. He practically said he was against taking the wand. He was a traitor and yet they still welcome him into the group.

Theodore sat, pondering over their actions for a while. Never noticing the new arrival until she spoke directly at him.

"And who are you?" A girl's voice called, snapping Theo's attention over to her. His eyes widened as a girl with long brown hair and equally brown eyes smiled at him in confusion. "I don't think I've ever seen you before."

Theodore looked at his friends, willing them to come to his aid but they stood equally as frozen as he.

 _'Shit. Twice in one day.'_

"It seems as thocht everyone is forgettin' abit me." Theodore started with a sigh. He then hoped of the table and looked at the new girl with his hands on his hips in mock exasperation. "I've bin a student haur thes whole year an' yit nae a body ever remembers mah name."

"O-oh," the girl gasped in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry. I just remembered!" She hastily tried to lie.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah! We took bio together, right! You sat near the window?" Theo grinned in amusement and laughed. The others tried to hide their snickering as well and did wonderfully in doing so.

"There you go!" Theodore said rolling his eyes playfully. "Not that hard was it?"

"No, of course not,-"

"Teddy," Theodore supplied for her.

"Right, Teddy," she laughed nervously. "Well I best be going now. Curfew is in a little bit so you should try to hurry up and finish in here." With that, the girl turned and fled the kitchen. Once the door shut closed, the remaining teens laughed uproariously. The kids at this school were so gullible.

"Teddy? That's so cute," Evie gasped as she leaned against the counter for support. Carlos and Jay laughed even harder at the mention of the name, even the dog seemed to be giggling at him.

"Alright alright," Mal said calming everyone down. "The batter is done so now all we need is to bake them. Evie grab the cookie sheets. Carlos and Jay, set the oven." She ordered. Theodore grinned and hopped off the counter grabbing an orange as he did so.

"And Teddy," Mal called with a grin. "Set the timer."

The following night after the whole cookie baking was hell for Theodore. His whole body ached and stomach was cramping painfully. He felt as though he could vomit at any second. Theodore felt as though he were about to die a slow and painful death. He tried to keep quiet since the boys were sleeping in the other room and for the most part succeeded. He even made sure to keep the door locked in case one of them tried to get in the restroom.

He didn't sleep the whole night being in too much pain to attempt to get some rest. He only knew it was morning when Jay had begun to knock on the door to be let in. With a groan, Theo stood, his body leaning heavily against the wall as he clutched his aching tummy. He slowly unlocked the door and sighed in bliss as a cool gust of wind hit his burning face.

"Dude, Teddy," Jay started finally looking at the younger boy. "You look like shit."

"Thanks," the other groaned. Theodore then began to hobble out of the room and slowly made his way to Jay's empty bed before falling face first on top of the messy sheets. Jay would have pushed him off his bed but figured he might as well let the boy take it for now. He was already passed out anyways.

It felt like he had just closed his eyes when a warm hand began to shake his shoulder. Theodore tried to move away from the unwanted heat but it wouldn't leave him.

"Teddy come on," Mal's voice groaned as the boy tried to move away.

"Go away," he said, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"You have been asleep all day! Get up! We just gave Ben the cookie and we need to see how it all plays out," she said.

"No," he groaned. He then felt a hand on his burning forehead but as quickly as it came it was gone.

"Oh no, Mal," Evie sighed. "He's burning up."

Theodore didn't hear what the girls began to say as he tuned them out, trying to get some more sleep. He then felt a hand shake him awake again which made him groan tiredly.

"How are you feeling, Teddy?" Mal asked, surprisingly sounding pleasant for once.

"Like death," he responded softly.

"Be specific." Theo gave a smile smile into his pillow at that. He could almost hear Mal rolling her eyes.

"My stomach is revolting against me."

"Well no wonder," Mal sighed. "You did eat a lot last night. You have to be more careful, Ted."

"You need to pace yourself when you eat," Evie said. "The food is different here. It has a lot more nutrients than food on the Isle. Your body needs to adjust to it before you can gorge yourself." Teddy groaned, signaling to her that he headed her loud and clear.

"Hold on," Mal muttered flipping through her spell book. "Ok got it!"

 _"Like a match when it starts to burn,  
Make my stomach stop to churn."_

Teddy felt the change almost instantly. A wave of coolness seemed to seek into his skin. Calming the aching and burning sensation instantly. His stomach settled and the growing need to vomit vanished. Theodore flipped over on his back and sighed in relief. He then sat up and nodded at the girls in gratitude before standing and stretching his arms above his head.

"Thanks," he grinned.

"Don't thank me yet," Mal said rolling her eyes and shutting her book with a 'snap.' "Knowing you boys, this is going to be a well used spell."

"Well let's go, Mal, Teddy," Evie said with a laugh as she pulled the two out of the room. "The tourney game awaits."

 **Please review and tell me what you think of the story so far! Send requests if you have them as well. Thank you :)**


	7. The Flutterwacken

Chapter Seven - The Flutterwacken

The game wasn't going to start for another half hour. Teddy could honestly tell you he had no clue what the game even was. Jay seemed to like it though. Carlos... Well he tolerated the game at best. Theodore had asked the white haired boy why he didn't just quit but Carlos just shrugged and said he was just in it to look after Jay. Jay could obviously take care of himself but it was an unspoken pact the group had: No one was to be left alone with the locals during their stay at Auradon.

There were moments when this pact had to be broken but it was inevitable sometimes. Plus the five were a lot more comfortable when they were together. No one said it out loud but they were all scared. Scared to fail or be caught. Scared of going home empty handed and worst of all, scared of what their parents would do if the mission was proven unsuccessful.

Even Theodore, whose 'mother' wasn't involved with the plan, was terrified of going back. Though of course he was the only one with the small chance of remaining in Auradon. All he had to do was find someone with authority and tell them the truth. Tell someone who he was and who his parents were. But Teddy would never abandon his friends. Even if it meant facing the Red Queen. His friends were more precious to him than his own life.

Loyalty above all.

Theo smirked as he was able to walk around the school freely. The students surrounding him were all in such high spirits. Everyone excited for the home game. No one seemed to notice him strutting casually through the halls, occasionally stopping to throw something in his school bag. The kids here seemed so forgetful. Leaving their stuff behind for Theo to pick up. From food to electronics. Slowly, but surely, his bag become almost too heavy for him to carry.

It was awesome.

Teddy he practically skipped passed a wall of lockers, his giggles bouncing off the walls as he nimbly dodged a few kids walking by. Stopping at the corner of the hall to catch his breath, Teddy noticed a sealed ziplock bag sitting innocently on a windowsill. The teen tilted his head slightly, staring at the abandoned baggy for a moment before picking it up and looking at it closely.

Inside sat a rather delectable looking lone cookie. Subconsciously, Teddy recognized the cookie, but his stomach seemed to crave the sweet at the mere sight of it. With a shrug, Theo ripped open the clear baggy and popped the whole thing in his mouth. The teen giggled madly as he continued skipping down the hall. The taste of the cookie making him feel giddy with how good it was. Soft yet crunchy when you didn't expect it. Just the right amount of chocolate so the sweetness wasn't overpowering.

His musings was cut short when he caught site of two people standing in the middle of the hallway. They seemed to be in the middle of a disagreement but they didn't look hostile towards each other.

The elder of the two was a woman with brown hair pulled into a bun and a light blue pencil skirt with matching top.

The other... The... Wow.

Time seemed to stop for Teddy as he laid eyes on her. He couldn't hear anything; The background chatter of mingling students completely vanished. The once bright hallway dimmed until it was completely black. The only light around seemed to radiate off the girl. Her long, curly brown hair glimmered and her creamy skin glowed. Her eyes, though, were the perfect shade of blue.

She was perfect. Beautiful in a way he couldn't describe. No word seemed to be able to fit this girl, a girl he had never seen before today. She was absolutely stunning.

"-wanna wear the suit, mom!" His angel cried. Theo flinched at the sound of the beauty in distress. His heart aching at the sight of her so upset.

"I'm sorry, Jane-"

Jane. A beautiful name.

"-but someone needs to wear it today. Just for the big game. I promise, dear. I'll find someone to be the official mascot soon." The woman said to the girl. Jane seemed to visibly deflate as she nodded. The woman in blue smiled lovingly before kissing the girl on her brow before turning and walking away.

Teddy swallowed as the girl sighed as she walked towards the door in front of her. Jane looked so sad and that did not sit well for him. With his mind made up, Theodore nearly sprinted over to the girl and tapped her in the shoulder.

"Wha!" The girl squealed in fright as she spun around.

"I'm sorry!" Teddy cried as he stepped back and put his hands up in surrender. "Ah didn't mean to frighten ye, lass." Jane took a few deep breaths before nodding at the orange haired teen. Teddy smiled, his body practically quivering with nervousness.

"I-it's ok," Jane whispered with a hesitant smile.

"Tha be well. Ah cooldnae help but notice ye waur upset. What's wrang?" The boy asked softly. The girl looked down for a moment, clearly upset. Theo waited patiently as the girl sighed once before turning and pulling open the door. She motioned the boy to follow her as she flicked on the lights and pointed at the far left corner.

Sitting there was an empty suit of armor. One of the schools mascots.

"Cool," he gasped as he ran to it. Teddy picked up the helmet and shoved it on his head. He then looked over at Jane and struck a pose. "How do I look?"

"Quite dashing," she giggled.

"So you don't wanna wear it?" Jane shook her head with a sad sigh.

"But I don't really have a choice. There's no one else who'd want to wear it so I'm stuck being Auradon preps suit of armor." She grumbled as she picked up the rest of the suit.

"I'll wear it."

"W-what?"

"I'll wear it at the game!" Theodore laughed as he took the suit from her still form. "I'll do it, no problem! It'll be fun."

"I-I don't-"

"Come on," Theo laughed. "You're too pretty to have your face covered anyways. Let me do this." Jane's face instantly turned a deep shade of red at the compliment. She was never called... 'Pretty' by a boy before.

"A-alright," she whispered. Theodore gave the girl a huge grin before throwing on the suit in glee. He actually managed to help this beautiful girl.

"Wait!" Jane cried as Theodore was making his way out of the room. "Y-you didn't tell me your name."

"Theodore," he replied striking a heroes pose. "But call me Teddy."

The game was on. The Fighting Knights, Auradon prep, versus Sherwood Falcons were tied. The scoreboard read 2:2 with only forty-seven seconds on the clock. Everyone was on their feet cheering for their respective teams. The game seemed simple enough but Teddy, in full mascot glory couldn't care less about the game. His attention was on the brown haired beauty he met what seemed like just a few minutes ago. She stood at the stands near Mal and Evie, cheering and clapping like the rest.

Theo, wanting her attention, began to jump around the cheerleaders. He began to mimic their movements, exaggerating each high-kick and spin. Posing in ridiculous fashions and dancing to a beat only he could hear. He had garnered a few fans from his tiring work as well. People actually began to cheer for him as loud as they did for the tourney players. Being in the suit was exhilarating. Not only was Teddy having the time of his life, he had noticed Jane laughing at a few of his antics.

Theo skipped over to where the school band was playing and began conduct. His hips moving to the beat as his arms swung in a poor imitation of a music director. The actual leader of the band, a boy with round glasses, turned to him when he noticed a few people pointing at the suit of armor with grins. The band leader laughed and threw Teddy a thumbs up.

Throwing his head back and roaring with laughter, Teddy began to move in ways he never moved before. The beat of the music racing through his body as he made his way to stand in front of the center of the stands. His whole body twisted and turned, his head bobbing slightly as he pumped the crowed up even more. Theodore never danced like how he was dancing now. He didn't care if he looked absolutely ridiculous. He was just so happy.

"Wow," coach whistled looking over at the school mascot. "Never knew Jane had it in her." Carlos looked over curiously and raised his eyebrows in awe.

"I didn't know Jane could flutterwacken," the assistant coach commented.

"Flutterwacken?" Carlos asked.

"It's a dance of unbridled joy," coach explained. "I've only seen a few people able to achieve it. Jane is doing well though she needs a bit practice."

"I got to hand it to the kid, coach," the assistant said. "For someone not native to Wonderland, she's doing pretty good."

"Wonderland?" Carlos repeated with a gaping expression.

"That's where the dance originated from, kid. Jay!-"

Carlos stared at the dancing suit of armor for a moment longer. Their dancing was something he had never laid on before but for some reason, it felt... Familiar. Not the dance per say but the mascot them self. There was no way the person in there was Jane. In fact, after scanning the bleachers Carlos found Jane cheering along with the rest of the students. Carlos shook his head as he began to search for his friends. Mal and Evie were next to Jane and Lonnie which was all well and good but where was Theodore?

Wait.

No flipping way.

Carlos head quickly snapped back to the suit of armor, his eyes wide in shock. He caught site of a few wisps of bright orange hair poking out of the face mask. There was no doubt now. The white haired boy looked over to Mal, waving slightly to get her attention. The girl tilted her head in confusion as he pointed over at Theodore. Seeing she was still confused, Carlos rolled his eyes and twirled his finger near his temple and nodded towards the mascot once more.

Mal's eyes widened as she nodded, indicating she understood before turning to Evie and whispering quietly to her.

"Found Teddy."

"What? Where!" The blue haired girl nearly shrieked as she searched for the other boy. Mal pinched the bridge of her nose and pointed at the mascot. Evie gasped, her eyes disbelieving as she watched the boy do a few cartwheels by the cheerleaders.

"No way," she whispered.

"Isn't he amazing," Lonnie gushed. "Jane told me his name is Teddy. He offered to wear the suit when she didn't want to." Mal glanced over at Jane who was staring at Teddy with a weird glint in her eye.

"He's-"

"Great!" Evie finished with a nervous laugh.

The buzzer went off, signaling the end to the short break. Theodore noticed the coach had sent Carlos in the game. The teen watched excitedly as Jay and Carlos made their way to their positions on the field.

"He's bringing in Jay in from the Isle of the Lost and little guy who can barely hold up his shield," the announcer shouted through the speakers. "And the tip off is ready! And here we go!"

A long pass went to Jay, who dished it off to Ben. Carlos successfully blocked off a player from the opposing team. Jay, being in possession of the ball again, made a hurdling maneuver across the field. Dodging the enemy team with ease, the long haired teen passed the ball back to Ben who stood in the kill zone. Ben passed the ball to another player who made a block and tossed the ball back to Jay. Jay was in the clear and shot the ball towards the goal but was stopped by the goalkeeper.

"Come on, Jay!" Teddy shouted. Jay's head spun to the source of his name. His eyes widened a fraction at the sight of the mascot waving madly at him. Jay shook his head in disbelief as he stumbled back into starting position, mentally reminding himself to ask what Theodore had been thinking when he put on the suit.

"Twenty seconds left on the clock!" The announcer... Announced. Theodore jumped up, standing stiff and ram rod straight as his arms shot out to mimic the hands of a clock. The cheerleaders near him mimicking him and they began to 'tick.'

The play began. The long ball was once again passed to Jay who ran with it down the field. The Fighting Knights triumphantly blocking their opponents from getting to him.

"Jay!" Carlos shouted from in front of the goal. Jay shot the ball to Carlos which bounced off his shield and flew back to Jay, successfully psyching out the other team. Jay passed the ball towards Ben who shot and scored the winning point just as the buzzer went off.

Theodore, along with the students on the stands, cheered.

"What a team!" Cried the announcer. "Incredible! And it was the new guys, Jay and Carlos, who set up the prince for the win! What a victory! What a great way to end one of the best games in history! Here they come folks, the winners-"

The announcer was cut off as Ben grabbed the microphone out of the announcers hands. "Excuse me! Excuse me! Can I have your attention please!"

The crowd went silent. Theodore literally freezing in the spot as he angled his head to look at the prince.

"There's something I'd like to say!" The prince shouted. The crowd remained silent, waiting for him to speak. Ben surveyed the stands for a moment. "Give me an 'M'!" He cried, forming the letter with his arms.

"'M'!" The crowd shouted back, mimicking him.

"Give me an 'A'!" Ben shouted throwing his arms to his sides.

"'A'!"

"Give me an 'L'!" He shouted throwing his arms up.

"'L'!" Boomed the crowd.

"What does that spell?!" He shouted at them.

"MAL!" The audience responded. Teddy glanced up at Mal, giggling slightly at her mortified expression.

"I love you, Mal. Did I mention that?" Someone rushed passed him, nearly knocking him over. Theo watched sadly as a girl, no doubt the prince's former girlfriend. Evie had told him about her. She wasn't a nice person but even she didn't deserve to be humiliated like this. Especially in front of such a large crowd.

"Give me a beat!" Ben shouted, pointing to the school band as they began to play a upbeat tune. Theo watched with a mad grin as Ben began to sing for Mal. There was no doubt the girl was incredibly embarrassed by his public display. While Teddy cared for Mal, he couldn't help but feel she brought this on herself. Theo ran up next to Jay and began to dance along with the team. He laughed along with Jay and Carlos as they danced and watched Mal for her reaction.

Theo gagged as Ben threw his sweaty jersey at Mal who seemed surprised as she leapt to catch it. He wondered why she would want that as it was moist with someone else's sweat. If it were him, he'd let that thing drop to the ground. It was a sweet gesture but kinda gross.

Ben crowd surfed. He jumped on the crowd and let the carry him to Mal. He stood in front of her with his charming grin as the band cut off and the crowd cheered loudly. The prince moved to kiss Mal but she blocked him off with a grimace.

"I love you, Mal. Did I mention that?" Ben asked pulling Mal into a side hug. Teddy laughed at his friend. Her face was tinted pink as she stood uncomfortably against Ben. What happened next made Teddy freeze.

Jane stood beside the pair, her eyes light with amusement and awe as she watched the event. She sparkled as she glanced down at Teddy with a grin of her own. Her smile breathtaking. Literally. Just looking at her felt like the wind was knocked out of him.

"-Dude," Carlos called shaking shoulder.

"Hmm, what?" Theo asked, his eyes not leaving Jane's form.

"I said you should get going," Carlos repeated nervously. "If you leave now you could beat the crowds and head back to the dorms without people getting suspicious."

"But-"

"Hurry, Ted." Jay growled as he pushed the boy towards the school. "While no one is watching!"

Theodore glanced back at his friends then at Jane before nodding and sprinting towards the school.

His angel could wait.

"So can you please explain why you were wearing that- that suit?" Evie asked as she and the others walked into the boys dorm. It had been a few hours since the game and Teddy was exhausted. He knew couldn't keep his eyes open for long.

"Seemed - yawn- seemed like fun," Teddy replied as he laid down on the floor by Carlos' bed.

"Did you steal it?" Jay asked.

"No. Jane didn't want to wear it so I volunteered."

"You let her see you?" Mal screeched.

"Not just her," he yawned. "I met Prince Ben the first day."

"You what!" They all shouted.

"Why didn't you tell us!?" Evie shouted.

"Didn't seem important at the time," he shrugged. "He was nice."

"Not important?" Carlos cried sounding like he was about ready to pull his hair out. "What if he found out you followed us from the island?"

"But he didn't."

"All we worked for could have been ruined!"

"But it wasn't."

"Guys!" Mal shouted. "It happened and we can't take it back. For now all we can do is lay low for a while. Just in case someone realizes Teddy doesn't really go here."

"Wait!" Theo cried jumping up. "What about Jane and Ben who had already met me? What if they start wondering where I'm at?"

"If we're lucky, they'll probably forget about you," Mal said with a shrug. "God knows I've tried."

"Rude."

"Dumbass."

"Jerk."

"Crazy."

"Guys! Not now," Evie shouted. The group sighed but stopped talking about Theodore's little 'meet and greets.' The teens lounged in the room for a bit, talking occasionally but mostly just eating through Ted's stash of food. Theo was about to doze off when someone threw a blueberry at his face, hitting him directly between his eyes.

"Before I forget," Carlos started. "When did you learn to dance like that?"

"Like what?"

"On the field. Coach said you were doing the 'Flutterwacken.' He said it was a dance originated in Wonderland."

"Flutterwacken? I doubt your mom would have taught you that," Mal commented.

Theo looked at their expecting faces and groaned. He slowly slid down the wall behind him and rolled under Carlos' bed, hoping to whatever God/Goddess out there would save him from the inevitable.

"Teddy," Evie whispered. "Just tell them."

"Tell 'them' what?" Mal asked. "Tell 'them' what?" She repeated when no one responded.

"Shit."

Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed and reviewed! This chapter is dedicated to sweetandsimple1 who gave me the idea to have Teddy eat the love potion cookie. If you have an idea or a prompt you'd like me to write, pm me or put it in the reviews! I'd love to hear from you all and take requests.


	8. Stranger Not Much Danger

Chapter Eight- Stranger Not Much Danger

Imagine a time when you were alone. It's quiet and the only thing you hear is the sound of your breathing. Just the air rushing through your lungs from your nose; or mouth if your that kind of person.

You know how relaxing that is.

Well right now was not one of those moments being Theodore was one: Not alone and two: He seemingly forgot how to breath.

The tension in the room was suffocating. Even under the bed with his eyes clenched shut, Theo just knew his confession shocked the group. Mal, Jay, and Carlos were silent throughout his whole explanation. One would think it was a good sign not being interrupted but to Theo, he really didn't know what to expect. His heart hammered in his chest. He swallowed, clenching his fists to his sides. Theodore didn't know how much longer he could take of the mind crushing silence.

He wanted, no needed, someone to say something; anything about the situation. He waited for Evie to jump to his aid but she remained silent. Theodore was suddenly glad he hid under the bed during the whole ordeal. He never would have fessed up if he were looking at them. That and at was harder for Mal to curse him if he stayed out of sight.

"How long did you know?" Carlos whispered, his voice so low Theo almost didn't hear it.

"Weel if the-day is Friday," Theo started, trying to stall. "An' if we coont leap year an' th' climate change alang wi' hoo much a wuid a woodchuck chucks-"

"Theodore," Jay interrupted.

"Sorry, sorry. twal years gie ur tak'," he finally said.

"You knew for twelve years," Mal repeated. "You lived on the Isle your whole life when you could have lived here. Why didn't you tell us?" Theodore didn't answer. He couldn't answer because he really didn't know. Sure he was scared over how they would but logically he knew it would have been better to tell them earlier. Theodore realized early on that he didn't want to expose himself in fear of what the people on the island would do to him. He thought that if he were to tell the group, they may eventually betray him and spill his secret.

But he knew that wouldn't be the case. They wouldn't have told anyone, not even their parents. Theodore was aware of this a few months into their friendship. Their loyalties to each other only grew stronger yet Theodore still didn't tell them.

No, Theodore did know why he didn't tell them. Why lie to himself.

He wasn't just afraid of being exposed, he was terrified of the prospect of meeting his parents. He figured that if he kept his linage to himself he could delay or even avoid seeing his mum and papa all together. The whole thing would have been terribly awkward.

Theodore risked a chance to peek at the four from under the bed. They weren't looking at him. In fact, they all seemed to have their backs turned from his direction. Theodore felt his heart plummet to his stomach. They refused to acknowledge him now that the truth was out. That hurt more than any pain he revived growing up with the Red Queen.

And she had the habit of strangling him when she was upset.

"Aam sorry," Theo whispered as he climbed out from under the bed. He looked at each of them, waiting for someone to move. To say something. Whether forgiving or angry, he needed them to say something. "Jay," Theodore started, walking a few steps over to the teen but freezing when Jay shook his head. "Carlos," he tried reaching towards the white haired boy. Carlos glanced at him but moved away towards the table in the center of the room. "Mal?"

"What do you want me to say, Theodore?" She whispered, looking at the wall. Theodore stood behind her trying to find the right answer. "That its ok? That we understand? You— you're not one of us."

"Mal," Theo whispered. His eyes brimming with tears. From his peripheral vision, Theodore saw Evie take a half step towards him but she paused. She probably didn't know who's side to take. Theo couldn't help but grow angry towards the blue haired girl. Even though it wasn't truly her fault, she practically told the others he was keeping something from them. He was forced to reveal his secret because of her little comment.

So yes, Theodore was angry at Evie. He blamed her. He blamed her for making him believe that his friends would overlook his linage. He blamed her for knowing in the first place but above all, he blamed her for giving him hope.

Theo looked at the others, all while stubbornly refusing to meet Evie's eyes. Jay looked angry, Carlos looked heartbroken, and Mal... She didn't express anything. Her face was passive as she continued to look right past him, as if everything they went through together never happened. Like it didn't matter. That look was all it took for Theodore; the final straw. It was over for him.

He lied.

He was not like them.

He was never going to be like them.

Theodore couldn't take it anymore. With a shuddering breath, he turned and bolted towards the door and ran down the corridor. Tears threatened to fall but he kept them at bay. He exited the school and jumped over the back stairs. His lungs began to burn, not from exertion but from the sobs he emitted. It hurt. His chest felt heavy. He wanted to stop running and just sleep but he couldn't. He couldn't stop running.

Theodore passed the tourney field and fled into the forest surrounding the school. He leapt over logs and boulders. Dodged trees and shrubs and not once breaking his original pace. Theodore didn't know where he was going but he had a vague idea where the museum was so he ran in that general direction. The museum was the only place outside the school he was familiar with. He wouldn't go inside, that's for sure. Not after the first attempt at taking the wand. He just needed to get away from the wretched school.

After almost half an hour of sprinting, Theodore finally made it to the museum. It looked the same from when he first visited just a week ago. Only this time it felt darker. Scarier. Being alone changed his whole perspective of this place.

Theodore sat heavily at the bottom steps of the main entrance. His chest was heaving and sweat collected on his brow. His heart was racing and his hands, no matter how hard he fisted them together, wouldn't stop shaking. In fact, his whole body wouldn't stop shaking. Theo's eyes widened in fright and realization. He was going to have another attack. He felt it.

He had gone through many of these episodes before. Many of them he went through alone but this was the first time in a long while where he didn't have anyone there with him. Usually it was just Mal or Carlos sitting by him offering silent comfort. They never said anything during and afterwards. They would always turn away as he dried his tears. Jay and Evie had witnessed it once or twice before. They were confused and understandably a bit frightened but they never turned their backs on him. The even helped clean up after wards.

These...'attacks' changed him. It was like all the rage and fear bottled up in side him found a way to escape all at once. It physically hurt most of the time. Like a stabbing and burning sensation coursing through his body. During an attack, Theodore would rage and scream. He would throw things, shattering them into a million pieces. He would hurt himself by slamming into walls, scratching and, pulling his own hair out. Carlos once told him his eyes would even change color. His bright green eyes would change into a acidic shade of yellow.

These episodes would only last for a few minutes. Afterwards Theodore would feel completely drained and his body would twitch for days after wards. The longest attack Theodore endured lasted two days. Forty-eight hours of constant pain and mind numbing fear. What had caused it was his own 'loving' mother. And even now, three years later, Theodore still bore the scar under his scarf.

Theo felt his body fall back against the stairs. The edges painfully digging into his back. His breathing became irregular and his vision slowly blacking out. He felt cold. Like he was siting in an ice bath. His head felt like it were about to explode. Theodore knew he was crying. He could feel the wetness on his cheeks. He was also distantly aware of hearing a few shouts and whimpering. He half wondered who it came from but then realized he was making those pitiful noises.

A rush of white hot pain flared under his skin making Theodore throw his head back and scream. It was loud and had surely garnered some unwanted attention but Theodore couldn't hold it back. He tried to muffle his whimpers and in the end he only succeeded in biting his tongue. Theodore stood uneasily, his arms clutching his middle as though he were trying to hold himself together. He began to unsteadily limp away from the museum but he tripped and fell face first. His knee took the brunt of most of the fall. It began to throb painfully but Theodore ignored it in favor of attempting to push himself up.

Another flash sent Theo back down. He couldn't get up. He could see or hear anything but his own screaming. Theodore curled into a tight ball, clutching his head tightly into his chest. He felt nothing but the cold and pain. He was terrified and alone.

Theodore didn't know how long he stayed in a fetal position before he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He relished in the new comfort for a moment before viscously shaking the hand off and curling into a tighter ball. Theodore bit down the new wave of screams and whimpers as the hand gently yet firmly grasped his shoulder. He felt himself behind pulled up from the floor and his back behind supported by something warm. He felt the person breathing behind him and their arms wrap around his middle. Theodore couldn't tell what exactly was going on but he did know that he liked it.

Underneath his shouting thoughts, Theodore could distantly hear some sort of humming sound. It was comforting. Beautiful even. Theo focused on the humming, on the heat radiating from his savior. The loud screaming from his mind slowly dimmed until all he heard was that humming. The pain in his body receding until it was only a dull ache.

Eventually all Theodore felt was exhaustion. His eyes and body felt like lead. His head lolled to the side and onto the strangers shoulder. He wanted to sleep. He was tired. The episode was behind him now.

"You can sleep now," a soft voice whispered to him. "You're safe."

Theodore nearly wept at the relief that coursed through his body. Besides the twitching in his shoulders and hands, Theo felt completely at ease. He wanted to sleep and forget about what had transpired at the school. His now green eyes slid closed as the humming lulled him into a dreamless slumber.

"You're safe."

—

 **A/N I'm so sorry for the long wait! Things have been hectic lately with school and my cousins Quince. There was a lot going on and I finally got the chance to finish this chapter. Sorry it's a bit shorter than the others but I honestly hit a wall writing this one. It was really hard getting through this. Anyways, if anyone can guess who the stranger is that helped out poor Teddy you'll get a special shoutout in the next chapter!**


	9. Undesirable no1

**A/N Sorry I took so long to update. I finally got a computer though! No more struggling to write and update through a phone! This fic is almost at its end :( One more chapter I think. If anyone wants me to write a short something for the story, send me a prompt in the reviews!**

 **I'm not sure what I am going to write next. I love crossovers and ocs. I was thinking of writing a story with the Mad Hatter and the Avengers or a Harry Potter and... well I'm not sure. SOMEONE GIVE ME AN IDEA! Give me something Disney or Harry Potter!**

Chapter Nine- Undesirable

Theodore woke up feeling warm. It was a new a welcomed feeling. He had slept in a great number of places before. Cold floors, alleys, empty boxes and trash cans, closets, and most recently, bathtubs. But even with his coat covering him, he had never woken up warm.

His body felt heavy and sore under the thick blankets placed on him. Though he did feel a few jolts of pain, they were minor. It made him curious as to who had found him and where he was. To be honest, Theo didn't even care that he had woken to an unfamiliar room. Just curious. He couldn't care less of what happened to him now. The pain in his body was nothing compared to the pain he felt in his heart.

No one wanted him around. Not his parents and certainly not his friends. It seemed as though he was destined to remain unloved. Theodore didn't expect things to go the way they did. He didn't think Mal or the others would turn their backs on him like they did or how Evie didn't speak up at least once during the confrontation. The girl had promised that everything would be fine.

Theo choked back a sob, his chest heaving as he threw himself off the side of the bed. He couldn't do this. He couldn't handle the pain and the rejection. Those three were all he had and it took one night, one secret to mess it all up.

Theodore saw something move from the corner of his eye; A pair of legs but he didn't look up. He felt the stranger kneel beside him and pull him into a warm embrace, rocking him gently.

"There, there, child," a gentle, elderly voice soothed. "Dry your tears." Theodore buried his face on the woman's shoulder, his tears staining the silky fabric.

"Mom?" Another voice called a little ways away from the distraught teen.

"Can you get the stuff please, Chip?" The woman called, still rocking Theo on the ground. "It seems as our guest has finally awoken."

It took a few minutes for Theodore to calm down while the elder woman continued to hold and sing to him. The singing was a bit weird but Theo found her voice to be soothing. When he had quieted down, the woman unfortunately moved away from him, making him feel cold. Theo didn't move or say anything; He just sat on the floor with his head down. He heard a whispered conversation above him but didn't bother to listen. It didn't matter.

Suddenly, Theodore was lifted from the floor. The sudden movement shocked him as he threw his head up and locked eyes with a young blond man. Instinctively, Theo threw his arms around the man's neck with a gasp. The older man only chuckled but readjusted his hold and set him down gently on the large bed.

"There," he said with a smile. "Better than sitting on the floor." Theodore shrugged, his attention back to his hands as his face burned a bright scarlet from being picked up so easily; and like a child to boot.

"Oh, Chip," the woman admonished the man while slapping his shoulder. "You startled him."

"Aw come on, ma," Chip whined rubbing his 'wound.' "I was just trying to help."

"I taught you better manners."

"That you did." he laughed, turning his to wink at Theo to show his amusement. "I apologize for man handling you onto the bed." Almost immediately after saying that, Chip's face turned a deep red. Theo cocked his head to the side, clearly confused as to why the man looked embarrassed all of the sudden.

"I-I didn't mean it like that! I— j-just— You're not my type," he chuckled nervously before giving him a terrified glance. "Not- Not that there's anything w-wrong with you! I'm sure that your an amazing person. Very cute too! I-I would never— I d-didn't— What I mean to say—"

"Just stop, hun," The woman giggled. "He's a bit young for you, don't you think?"

"MOM!" Chip cried. "I—" The man was cut off by Theodore's snort of laughter. A small smile played on his lips as he watched the mother and son banter. The elder woman and Chip glanced down at him, eyes wide before grinning. Though the boy's eyes were still red and puffy from his cry, his smile helped ease some of their concerns.

"Now will you look at that, Chip," the woman said. Chip nodded and sat on the corner of the bed, his eyes trained on the teen.

"You gave my mother and I quite a scare. How are you feeling?" Theodore tried to speak but he could only cough. His throat felt extremely dry. The woman gasped and quickly walked over to the bedside table. She picked up a glass of water and handed it to the teen. Theo nodded gratefully and sipped the cool water carefully.

"I'm ok, thank you," Theo whispered. Chip sighed and shared a look with his mother but didn't press for more.

"Well I'm Chip and this is my mother, ," he introduced with a friendly smile. "She was the one who found you a few days ago. Called me up at around three in the morning to help bring you here."

"Days ago?" Theodore questioned, his eyes wide.

"Oh yes," confirmed. "You have been asleep for almost three days. We were getting a bit worried. If you had not woken up when you did, I would have had Chip here run you to the hospital."

"Why didn't you just leave me? I'm not your responsibility. I'm a stranger."

"A stranger you are but I am not one to leave someone in need, dear."

"I— Thank you," the teen said with a small smile.

"So what's your name, kiddo?" Chip asked.

"Uh, Theodore. But most people just call me Teddy nowadays." He whispered after taking another sip of water.

"Teddy," Chip repeated with a small nod. "Well Ted, do you have someone we can call? Your parents maybe? I'm sure they are awfully worried about you." The innocent question and pure concern written on the man's face was more than enough to set Teddy off again.

Theodore never was one to cry so often. Crying was just not done on the Isle. It was the sign of ultimate weakness. But with all that happened, he couldn't hold the tears in anymore. He felt broken and alone. His heart felt as though it were going to rip in two. Living on the Isle makes one accustomed to pain but this hurt was like no other. On the inside, Teddy kicked himself for being so pathetic; Crying over his friends in the midst of two strangers. Living in Auradon for nearly two weeks must have made him go soft.

"Oh, child," whispered as she pulled him into another embrace.

Chip stared down sadly at the distraught child. His heart aching at the overwhelming sadness the boy emitted. He was just a child. Chip had assisted his mother in tending to the boy during the past few days and long nights. They had seen what was under those rags he called clothes. The boy was underfed, that's for certain. Everyone of his ribs were visible. HIs chest and arms were littered with old bruises and scars. Chip tried telling himself that kids roughhouse and get hurt all the time but the wounds on the child's body were excessive. The worst of the scaring was on his neck; His mother had to leave the room to collect her bearings after they had removed Teddy's scarf.

After seeing the boy's reaction at the mention of his parents, Chip felt horrified at the prospect that his own family had caused the child so much pain. It was unheard of! From what he had seen, Teddy seemed like a sweet boy. Even he were a brat, no kid deserved such… violent punishment. The man also felt angry, no furious. He had grown protective of the teen. He didn't doubt his mother had unofficially adopted the kid in her mind. Chip swore to himself then and there that if he ever met Teddy's parents… not even King Adam would be able to hold him back.

—

Once he was calm once more, Chip had told im they were actually in one of the many guest rooms of King Beast and Queen Belle's palace. Teddy nearly jumped out the window after hearing that but assured him that his presence was kept on the down low. Only two other people besides Chip and his mother knew he was there.

Lumiere and were an odd pair. They had wandered into the room a while back ago with some food and juice in the midst of an argument. It was mostly one sided though as was the only one that was truly annoyed. Lumiere merely laughed and aggravated him further. After the pair had left, Chip had jumped on the bed beside Teddy and made himself comfortable. Teddy was glad the man had stayed with him. He couldn't handle being left alone at the moment.

The man did a very good job at distracting the teen; Telling him bad jokes and asking random questions to successfully make the teen laugh. Chip told him he had eleven brothers and sisters. All of which lived in the castle growing up. Each one of them attended Auradon Prep and graduated with top scores, landing them all in great schools. Teddy had laughed at some of the professions Chip's siblings have chosen. From toothpaste testers to ballerina. Chip was very proud of them all.

The man decided to take after his mother career wise. He now works at the castle as head housekeeper as his mother retired from the position a few years ago. He loves his job and most importantly, he loves the family he worked for. Teddy had a field day hearing all the funny stories Chip had about the going ons of the castle.

It was around midday when Teddy had asked about Prince Ben. He had told Chip of how he had met the soon King in the school's kitchen. Chip had laughed and happily told him Ben was currently in the castle. The man then pulled Teddy out of bed and shoved him into the conjoined bathroom to shower and change out of his borrowed sleep attire. (One of Chip's old night shirts that fell passed Theodore's knees.)

Once clean and smelling like a spring meadow, Teddy stepped out of the bathroom wearing his own clothes back. had personally washed and tailored his clothes. The other man figured the boy wouldn't appreciate it if his clothes were thrown out. Theodore had thanked the man profusely, causing to turn a beet red and stuttering out a 'you're welcome' before leaving the room.

Lumiere had kindly given Theodore some clothes he said they had kept from the many teen turned adults that had lived in the castle. The castle Maitre'd had found clothes in shades of orange, greens, blues, and browns saying that kids these days always seem to stick to a certain color scheme.

Chip then escorted Teddy to Ben's personal quarters. Well, more like dragged actually. Theodore didn't mind though. If they had taken their time, Teddy was sure his pockets would become significantly heavier than when he arrived.

Ben's room was nothing to scoff at. The lavish designs and expensive decor made Teddy wilt and look down at his own attire. He's never felt self-conscious before but even he had to admit that the damn drapes were probably worth more than his whole wardrobe back at the isle.

Ben was sitting at his desk when he and Chip had arrived. The prince didn't acknowledge their presence, probably didn't even notice their arrival.

"Ahem," Chip coughed. Ben didn't seem to hear the man which clearly agitated the poor soul to no end. He tried coughing to gain his attention once more but Ben still didn't look up. Finally, Chip took a deep breath and cupped his hands to his face and shouted:

"I SAID 'AHEM', YOUR MAJESTY!" Ben let out a loud yelp as he tipped backwards from his seat in shock. Chip grimaced at the down king before smiling sheepishly at the teen's glare. "You have a guest," He rushed out before pushing Teddy in front of him and quickly escaping the room.

"Whaaa?" Teddy gasped in surprise as he tried to regain his footing from the sudden shove.

"Teddy? What are you doing here?" Ben asked as he pulled himself off the floor and greeted the orange haired teen with a handshake.

"You know, I'm not to sure anymore," Teddy shrugged. Ben laughed and pulled the other teen further into the room and offering him a seat.

"When I said we should hang out i meant at the school. But this is pretty cool too," Ben hastily continued after seeing Teddy's frown. "I haven't seen you around school for a while. Is something the matter?"

"N-no. Everything's good. Just didn't feel up to going to class, y'know?"

"As your future king I'm supposed to say that I don't condone you skipping class." Ben started sternly before his face melting into a smile. "But as your friend and fellow student, I totally understand wanting a break from it all."

"What about you?" Teddy asked, his nose scrunching up in confusion. "You looked upset earlier." Ben was going to shrug of Teddy's inquiry. Waving off his troubles as if it were no big deal but he faltered. The last time he spoke to the other teen had helped greatly. It wouldn't hurt to confide in Teddy once more. Besides, Ted was such an easy guy to talk to.

"There's this… girl," Ben started.

"Ah. I see," Teddy said with a nod. " You like her?"

"No. Well, yes. I think," the prince admitted, his brow scrunching up in confusion. "That's the thing, Ted. I don't know how I feel about her. I like her but she's just so— so confusing! One minute she's interested in me and then she closes off out of nowhere! Ted, I'm telling you, this girl is the most interesting, beautiful, and mysterious person I have ever met! I really like her. Maybe even love her, I don't know."

Teddy grimaced as the will-be-king stood from his chair and began to pace. The taller teen ran his hands through his hair in frustration before sighing.

"She— she slipped me a love spell, Ted," He said brokenly. "I want to believe that she likes me too but how can I trust her not to go behind my back again?"

"Mal, right?" Teddy said, feigning ignorance. "She probably does like you but was too afraid to admit it; Not only to you but to herself. You said so yourself that she has the tendency to close off from others. Maybe that spell was her way of showing affection. Maybe she was afraid of rejection. That by no means means her method was justifiable of course but remember she is from the Isle. Things are done differently there."

Ben stopped pacing and stared down at his carpeted floor for a long moment before nodding with a sigh.

"You're probably right there, Teddy," He agreed before giving a short laugh. "You're pretty smart, man. Makes me wonder how since you seem so keen in ditching school so much." Theodore gave a sarcastic laugh before reaching over on Ben's desk and throwing a pen at the prince.

"Watch it!" Ben laughed as he dodged the small projectile. "Anyways, have you ever been in love?"

Teddy's eyes immediately seemed to glow a bright green as a huge smile crossed his face. The younger teen literally swooned as he began to sway slightly in his seat. Ben stared at the teen in confusion at the sudden change but patiently waited for the boy to speak.

"She's th' most beautiful lass ah hae ever laid eyes oan. Hoo she walks. 'er smile. 'er voice. 'er eyes. Ach min 'er eyes! They ur th' bluest eyes in th' warld!" Teddy said, his voice wistful as he thought about his love.

"What's her name?" Ben asked, trying very hard not to laugh at the dopey look the other teen had.

"Jane," Theodore sighed.

"Jane? As in fairy godmother's daughter, Jane?" The prince repeated in disbelief. "Huh, I didn't think Jane had many friends; Much less male friends. How long have you known her?"

" Ah don't know," Theo shrugged. "A week, Ah guess. Ah mit 'er th' day ay th' big Tourney game."

"Wait. Let me get this straight. You're in love with a girl you met less than a week ago?" Ben asked, completely shocked. "How many times have you spoken to her since then?"

"Jist th' once," Teddy said, not catching on to why Ben seemed so shocked.

"You can't love someone you just met, Teddy! That doesn't happen."

"Whit dae ye mean? Yoo're in love wi' Mal an' ye only knoon 'er fur less than a month!"

"That's different! I— I dreamt of her for years now. I know it sounds crazy but I know it's her. The girl in my dreams, I mean. Plus the love spell— THE LOVE SPELL!" Ben quickly stood from his seat and kneeled in front of the other teen. He pulled Teddy's chin up so he could see his eyes closely and cursed. "Did you eat the cookies?"

"What cookies?" Teddy scoffed as he pulled away from the frantic prince.

"They were chocolate chip! With almonds! Did you eat a cookie the day of the game?"

"Ah don't know. Mebbe," Teddy said with a shrug. "Ah don't remember." Ben groaned and pulled Teddy up and out of his seat before walking out his bedroom door, clasping tightly on to Teddy's sleeve.

"Whaur ur we going?" Teddy cried as he tried to keep up with the prince's determined stride.

"You'll see," Ben said before he called down for a maid to get his driver ready.

—

Apparently Ben's idea of hanging out was pushing his new friend into a lake, fully clothed. It also turns out that not only is Teddy a terrible swimmer but he has a very… interesting vocabulary.

"You're a slag." Teddy growled as he sat on the dirt ground with his arms crossed. Ben grimaced and sighed as he sat beside the drenched teen.

"It was the fastest way I could get you into the water. I didn't know you couldn't swim."

"And why did you think I needed the surprise bath?"

"The lake is enchanted," Ben explained with a sigh. "It strips away any enchantments or spells cast on a person. The cookie you ate was the same Mal gave me only you fell for Jane." Realization hit Teddy like a ton of bricks. His feelings for the girl weren't his own. The only thing that felt right to him was all a farce.

"I— I never loved Jane." Teddy whispered. "But I t-thought… She was the only good thing that happened to me recently."

"I'm sorry, Teddy," Ben said softly.

"But you still love Mal." At that something flared inside Teddy. His emotions and thoughts towards Jane changed completely the moment the his head went under the water. What if Ben was just toying with Mal? He said the lake broke the spell off him too. While Mal had essentially given up on Teddy, that didn't mean the teen still didn't care for her. His vision slowly turned red and his heart started to beat wildly at the prospect of Ben playing with Mal's emotions. No one, not even the future king, would disrespect his friends. Not when Teddy was still alive and kicking.

"Ah dornt loove Jan coz ay th' lake but ye still loove Mal?" Teddy started, his voice low and venomous. "Ur ye playin' 'er?"

"What!? No, of course not!" Ben shouted, completely taken aback.

"Sorry if ah dornt believe ye, yer majesty,"The orange haired teen said sarcastically as he stood to face the bewildered teen. "Ah hae seen some low, nasty things but ah ne'er thought ye woods pull a prenk lake thes! Hoo daur ye!?"

"Calm down, Teddy! I would never do that!" Ben shouted while trying to hold back on his own anger. "I liked Mal before the cookie! The date we had just cemented my feelings towards her. Even if I didn't love her like I did now, I would never betray someone's trust like that!" Teddy's acidic yellow eyes glared into Ben's blue orbs. After a minute of stillness, the younger teen sighed, his eyes bleeding back to his normal green, and nodded. He saw how sincere the other boy was. Ben truly loved the purple haired girl.

Ben noticed the change and relaxed his stiff posture. Inside, Ben was wary of Teddy's change when angry. He had never seen someone's whole physical diminuer change. Sure he had noticed Mal's eyes changing to a bright green when angry but Teddy was different. His eyes weren't the only thing that changed. His hair darkened a shade or two, the bags under his eyes became more pronounced and his skin took on a sickly pale tone. Even his clothes dim from their usual bright colors. Teddy became a scary sight when he was angry.

However, the phenomena didn't just happen when Teddy exhibited signs of anger. Sadness, fear, joy, nervousness. Teddy was a walking mood ring. In the back of Ben's subconscious, the prince recognized and as heard of the same thing occurring to another redhead in passing but he didn't think too much on it.

"I—I trust ye, Ben," Teddy sighed. "Aam sorry ah blew up oan ye. Just— nae a' lot of people in Auradon ur as good as ye, Ben. Mal— Mal is special an' ah wood hate if anythin' waur tae happen tae th' lass. She awreddy hud sic' a hard life. Jay, Evie, and Carlos tay. Ah dornt want them tae gie hurt."

"And they won't," Ben said with fierce determination. "I promise, Ted. I will keep them safe and happy. They won't have to go back to the Isle as long as they want to remain here. The other children on the Isle too. I refuse to remain ignorant. Auradon will change, Teddy. I will make sure of it."

Ben had invited Teddy to stay the night at the castle since it was so dark outside by the time they made it back but luckily Chip was there to save Teddy from answering. The man had explained to Ben that Teddy was staying with him and his mother for the weekend. Ben had shrugged and told Teddy to meet him at the front gates at the morning for a ride to school stating that he had already missed too many days of class.

When asked why they were going to school on a sunday, Ben explained that it was family day. A tradition at Auradon prep where all parents were invited to the school to see their children as most lived on campus in the dorms. Teddy had tried to weasel his way out of missing the event but Ben had been persistent. He even threatened to drag the orange haired teen into the limo if he refused.

The next morning was a flurry of movement. Cogsworth and Lumiere had insisted on forcing Teddy into his fanciest clothes. An orange blazer over a navy blue button up shirt and dark green dress pants. Luckily, the two castle servants aloud Theodore to wear his own shoes.

Ben had complimented Teddy when he had seen him which resulted in Ben receiving a stink eye in return. It was too early to be social. The only bright side to the early wake up was watching the sunrise for the first time. The light touching the dewy grass and school was an incredible sight for someone who never had the chance to admire the sun.

Teddy tried to avoid being seen as the parents and students mingled around the courtyard. Theodore especially worked hard on avoiding his former friends but he knew he stuck out like a sore thumb. There wasn't another orange haired teen in sight.

A metaphorical light bulb popped over Teddy's head. All he needed was a disguise and he knew the perfect one.

The visiting kids absolutely adored Teddy in the mascot costume. Their shouts and cries of glee as Theodore performed a trick or stunt put a smile on many of the adult's faces. Currently, Teddy was amusing the kids by pretend sword fighting. The kids seemed to love it when he played the "evil knight" as they would take turns to attempt to "defeat" him.

Theodore had seen Jane walk by a few times though it didn't seem as though she looked in his direction. The realization that he didn't love the girl had hurt but Theodore was glad he didn't contact the girl further. It wouldn't be fair to her.

Things were going fine until Teddy heard a commotion coming from the center of the party.

Teddy saw Mal, Jay, Carlos, and Evie in center of the fray and immediately knew something went wrong. Only this time, his friends— ex friends had nothing to do with the commotion. The Charming kid was hollering and yelling all sorts of cruel things towards the four Isle kids. By the state of their frowns, Theodore could tell the comments were truly harmful.

It wasn't until Chad had rushed Evie when Theodore realized he couldn't stand back and watch any longer.

People around him gasped as Theodore seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Theodore, clad in the suit of armor, rammed into the blond teen with so much force, the older male actually flew back a few feet. Theo growled as he stepped menacingly towards the fallen boy. Shouts for him to back off remained unheard as his eyes locked onto the blonde. The orange haired teen readied his fist and was about to throw a punch when he was suddenly lifted off the ground.

Turning his head slightly, Theodore recognized his captor as the current King of Auradon himself.

Teddy struggled further; trying to pull himself out of the king's grasp but not succeeding. The king grunted when the boy's legs kicked him repeatedly but he held on tight. The crowd around them looked on in shock; no one made a move to help either party.

Theodore felt someone rush behind him and pull off the knights helmet from his head. With his face now uncovered, Theo truly began to panic. His heart raced as he glanced wildly around the courtyard. His eyes eventually made contact with the headmistress of Auradon prep.

"Teddy?" A voice, Lonnie he recalled, gasped from the crowd.

"I d-don't think I ever seen him before," The fairy godmother muttered, somehow being loud enough for hear. "I know every child that attends this school and he is certainly not a student here."

"He doesn't even go here!" someone shouted from the crowd. All eyes turned to a blue skinned man in the center of the crowd in confusion. "Heh, sorry about that. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up."

Still dazed from the sudden shout, Theo grunted in shock when he was suddenly drop to his feet and spun around; the grip on his right bicep remained.

"Who are you?" King Adam nearly growled but held back when Queen Belle set her hand on his shoulder.

"Nane ay yer business, yer majesty," Theo replied mockingly as he tried to pry the large hand off of him.

"It most certainly is. You have trespassed on private property, in MY kingdom," He said, stressing out each word. "So yes, this is certainly 'my business,'"

"Nae shockin' 'at ye woods question me raither than 'at snotty prince ower thaur fa Ah main remin' ye nearly attacked anither student," Teddy growled. "'en again they waur jist th' 'evil' kids, reet? ye woods first flin' them back oan th' isle tae rot wi' their parents afair hearin' them oot."

The king growled and opened his mouth to reply but Theodore beat him to it.

"Soonds familiar, doesnae it? Punish them before they commit a crime?" Theodore shouted. The Queen and king, along with the rest of the crowd, gasped. Though the crowd was surprised of the gal the boy possessed. No one, bar the queen and a few villains, have ever raised their voice at the former beast. It just wasn't done. It was his eyes that shocked the king and queen. Their once green hue bled into a molten yellow.

"I haven't punished anyone that has not deserved it," The king replied after a second of hesitation, his voice low and menacing.

"Ye huvnae?" The orange haired boy growled. His increasing anger and the change in eye color startling the man into slacking his grip on the boy. Theodore ripped his arm out of Adam's grasp and moved a few steps back. "Ye huvnae forced villains tae live on an inescapable island? ye huvnae forced them tae live aff yer scraps? ye huvnae ignored th' innocent children forced tae live wi' violent criminals? dae ye hae onie idea ay th' torment any one of us went through?"

"Torment? I was looking after the safety and happiness of my people," The king said.

"Yer people? WE ARE YOUR PEOPLE TOO!" The boy shouted. "Whit abit mah happiness? mah safety?"

"Child," queen Belle tried to sooth.

"No," Theodore growled as he began to unravel his scarf from his neck. The multicolored fabric hung loosely from his hand as he titled his head to the side to show his neck to the crowd but more importantly, to show the king and queen. On the child's neck was a bright red scar. it was jagged, like whoever did it struggled with a dull knife. It encircled around his neck, just under his adam's apple.

Queen Belles eyes watered as she threw her hand up to her mouth in sorrow. King Adam couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the boy. His large frame was stock still, along with the people gathered around them.

"Aff wi' his head," Theodore spat. Seeing as everyone hadn't moved for quite a bit, the orange haired boy took it as an opportunity to flee the scene. Quickly wrapping the scarf tightly around his neck once more, Theo glanced around the silent courtyard and sprinted towards the woods surrounding the school. He passed by a few parents and students. None tried to stop him. In fact, they all seemed to try and avoid looking at him. Good.

"Teddy!" a male voice shouted from behind him. Theodore glanced behind him and saw Ben running after him. Theo shook his head and picked up his speed easily dodging into the foliage and out of sight.  
"TEDDY!"


	10. Soggy Mittens

Chapter Ten- Soggy Mittens

Adam liked to think he was a practical man. He liked order and organization. His attention to detail was borderline OCD. The day Belle had told him he was going to be a father, his mind blanked. Him? A dad? He had no doubt Belle would be a fantastic mother but him? Adam could barely hold his temper when he was with his wife. How would he manage to reign in his inner beast with a child? The chaos they created at every step, the increasing worry as they grew, and the inevitable moment when his baby was all grown up.

The more Adam thought about it, the more he freaked himself out. It wasn't until Belle quite literally knocked some sense into his head with a small paperback book. As the days grew on and Belle's tummy expanded, Adam found himself becoming fascinated and, dare he say it, giddy with excitement as the baby was reaching its due date.

He never told Belle this but Adam was insanely glad they had given birth to a baby boy but that by no means make the king any less protective of his son. If they had had a little girl, well, Adam would have personally built a giant tower to keep her in for the rest of her days. Or at least until she was old and wrinkly.

Watching Ben grow was probably the most satisfying achievement of his life. He would gladly give up his throne if it meant to keep his family safe. They were his world. He slowly became accustomed to messes his little boy would create. The crayon on the walls, spilled juices, and muddied carpets used to drive him insane, that is, until he glanced down at Ben's apologetic face. Those eyes, just like his mother, made him forget about all his worries, all his strifes. It may sound cliche but Adam thinks that Ben's arrival into his life actually calmed his inner beast.

He no longer stressed over every little problem his kingdom had. He, along with Belle, had matured in a way only parents did. Together they found solutions that not only fixed problems in their own lives but in lives of others. It was why King Adam and Queen Belle were considered the greatest rulers in Auradon.

Memories of Ben's childhood was actually the main reason he was standing alone on an empty sidewalk; facing a tall building with the words "Hightopps Spectacular Top Hats and Odd Ends" painted on a uneven piece of plywood. The establishment belonging to one's Tarrant and Alice Hightopp. It was Auradons only business that worked as a year round hat store, tailor shop and unofficial tea brewery.

Adam remembered the pair very clearly. He had met the odd couple a few months after Ben was born. The infant had spit up on his favorite dress shirt and efforts to clean it had left it unwearable. He remembered his usual tailor was on vacation in sherwood forest for the holiday season and with all the stress the baby and managing a kingdom caused, Adam personally made a visit to the Hightopps to get away from it all.

The pair were… odd to say the least. Teacups were thrown about nearly as much as unanswerable riddles and insane giggles. The king considered walking right back out of the store but the couple intrigued him. So he stayed.

Tarrant, or Hatter as many affectionately called him, was an amazing tailor; despite his rather questionable mentality. Adam's dress shirt was fixed in less that ten minutes, in fact, it came out better than when his first got it! As Adam was reaching for his wallet to pay the man, Hatter stopped him. The other man had told him they wouldn't charge him with money but would greatly enjoy his presence for afternoon tea.

Not wanting to be rude and also not wanting to head back to the castle just yet, king Adam accepted.

That evening was surprisingly enjoyable. The mere chaos the couple had exhibited had bothered the king in the beginning but after a while of witty banter and amusing antics, he found them to be quite charming.

Alice reminded him of his own wife, Belle. She was a very intelligent, kind hearted woman. Yet something about the way she spoke intrigued Adam. Her voice was light, childish and a bit naive in a way that was not common in people their age. Tarrant was the same in some aspects. They seemed so happy and innocent that the king felt proud to call them his citizens.

The way Hatter would gaze lovingly to Alice and then her flat belly had made Adam pause then laugh. His laughter seemed to go on for ages before he finally calmed. Alice was pregnant. When asked when the baby was due, both of their eyes just lit up in joy. And at that moment, there was no doubt in Adam's mind that Tarrant and Alice Hightopp would be amazing parents.

Only, they never did get a chance to know for sure.

The king had sent dozens of guards and held many search parties the moment the child's kidnapping was brought to Adam's attention. After that memorable tea party, Adam had gone home with a different perspective. He had kissed his wife and son with every doubt, every fear locked in the back of his head. The Hightopps had opened his eyes and he did not forget it.

Hatter and Alice were left broken as no news of their missing son came. Their cheeriness had gone and in place was a permanent depression. For years the couple continued their search. Often asking for magical beings in the kingdom for aid but even with all their power, no one could find the little boy. Many presumed Theodore Hightopp dead. They assumed that since the spells didn't work, there was nothing left to find.

The Hightopps never stopped looking. No matter how many times people told them to give up, the two did not stop searching for their baby.

At the moment, King Adam was not sure how to feel; Over joyed that he had found his friend's child or guilty for being the reason they were separated in the first place. It was his decree to lock all the villains on the isle. It was his fault that an innocent family was broken beyond repair.

But it wasn't just Theodore's life that Adam had ruined. Ben was right; The children were innocent. The girl, Mal, had looked terrified when Queen Leah had shouted at her. She looked ashamed when every eye turned her way and Adam was ashamed for being one of those people. The decree only worked to deepen people's hatred and animosity towards each other.

Adam couldn't help but think the Hightopps had an amazing gift to open minds. Theodore had shed some light of what went on in the isle. The whole courtyard went silent after Theodore's speech. Not one person dared to bad mouth any of the isle students after that. The whole mob of people felt guilty and regretful for how they had treated those children. Many had even approached him to immediately retrieve the other kids on the isle. Some even offering to house them if there was no room in the school.

Ben, and Theodore to a huge extent, changed the view of so many people. Adam was just repentant for remaining ignorant.

The king had not been inside the tailor shop since the first time he visited. He felt it was only right for him to tell the grieving parents the news of their son. With a deep sigh, the man rubbed his face in nervousness and shakingly knocked on the wooden door. A few crashes could be heard from the other side but Adam only flinched and stayed put. It wasn't long before the door was pulled open revealing a tired Hatter at the doorway.

Adam winced at the sad appearance of the other male. Hatters face had gained a few wrinkles. HIs once bright eyes full of laughter were dark and empty. His hair was a dull orange and very disheveled and clothes were all wrinkled; no doubt the other man didn't care much for his appearance.

"Afternoon, Tarrant." Adam started, his throat tightening with difficulty as he tried to keep speaking calmly. "Is Alice home by chance?"

"Yeah," the man whispered horsely, like he just finished a cry. "Lit me get 'er. Woods ye like tae come in?" Adam's mind flashed back at the enraged boy once he heard the other man talk. If he had any doubts the boy from the school was the missing Hightopp, the Hatter just disproved him.

"Uh, no. I'll wait here." Hatter nodded and walked inside, leaving the door open in case Adam changed his mind. The king heard Hatter speak to who he presumed was Alice and was right when a blond head of hair came into view. If Hatter's appearance made Adam want to pull the man into a consoling hug, Alice made him want to run home and look for his own comfort with Belle.

"Oh, Hello," Alice greeted, her smile forced. "What can we do for you today?" Hatter and Alice standing side by side, both a vision of sorrow gave Adam the strength to say what he came here for.

"Nothing for me today," He started. "I'm actually here to give you news of your son." Both immediately straightened at that, their eyes glued to his own and hope shining through for what Adam assumed was the first time in fifteen years. "We— He's alive. Infact, he's here, in Auradon. I've saw him myself not too long ago actually. He was at Auradon Prep for nearly a month now."

Alice and Tarrant had tears running down their cheeks but their smiles were huge. They seemed to radiate relief and happiness that even Adam could feel.

"Theodore is here?" Alice whispered, her heart beating wildly. "He's alive. Hatter! He's Alive!" Tarrant laughed with his wife, pulling her into a big hug and spinning her around.

"Also," Adam said, hating himself for cutting in on their joy and for what he was going to say. "We managed to figure out where he was."

Adam's throat tightened when the couple looked back at him;His heart felt heavy with what he was about to reveal to them.

* * *

Theodore was not having a good day. Infact, Theodore felt it was safe to say he was having a downright lousy month. Auradon was turning out to be a horrible place and all Theo wanted to do was go back to the Isle and live out the rest of his life in hiding. In the past couple of days, Theodore had lost everything. Not only had he lost the trust of his only friends but there was no doubt in his mind that going back to the Isle was out of the question. The Queen of Hearts would no doubt have her card minions hunt him down for prosecution the moment word got out he returned to the Isle.

Usually anyone caught for one of the Queen's trials only had one outcome. It wasn't pretty.

Theodore was cold, hungry, exhausted, and soaking wet. The rain was just the cherry on top of all of Theodore's suffering. He was just glad he had the forethought to grab the bag of clothes packed for him. Teddy felt bad for dumping the mascot suit somewhere along the forest but he figured people would keep a look out for someone in the suit if there was a mob after him. He now sported a bright orange sweatshirt under a cargo green jacket. Luckily he still managed to keep his favorite scarf on him. The only comfort he had actually. He also had on a pair of ugly mittens.

Those things were an eyesore for sure. The damn things were convertible that could switch from ordinary mittens to fingerless gloves. If it weren't for the freezing rain, Theodore wouldn't have bothered with them.

Currently, Theodore took shelter in an alley between a diner and laundromat ran by mice. The teen shivered as another wave of water and cool air hit him. His clothes stuck uncomfortably to his body, providing no insolation from the cold. He must have looked like a drowned rat. He sure felt like one.

Theodore sneezed into his mitten covered hands before resting his forehead on his knees. Theo was no stranger to being sick but this felt like so much more than a common cold. He felt feverish and his stomach felt worse than the time he ate too much during the first week in Auradon. He wished Mal were with him. No. He wished he was with Mal and the others. He wouldn't want her to be out in this weather.

He never thought he would miss his friends so much it physically hurt. He had long ago forgiven Evie as he realized his anger toward her was unjust. None of this was her fault, she was just as shocked as he was when Mal, Jay, and Carlos turned their backs on him. Hell, he wasn't even mad at the three either. Their reactions were understandable. He just wished things had not had happened as they did.

Theodore was shivering uncontrollably by this point but he didn't dare get up and look for a warmer place to hide. The chances of him being caught frightened him. They alley he was in was inaccessible as it was well hidden and rather cramped. He doubted any adult would be small enough to budge in. Theo had heard a few groups of people run assed him, calling his name. Many of which were the adults (parents) that he had recognized from family day.

A man with big, round glasses and a glowing crystal hanging from his neck had been extremely close to discovering Ted's hiding spot. The blond man had seemed distressed as he called out his name, promising that he was in no trouble and that his parents were looking for him. Theodore remembered how hard his heart pumped against his chest when the man had leaned his back against the wall close to him in exhaustion. It wasn't until yet another man with a funny haircut (long at the top, shaved at the bottom and a thin ponytail at the base of his neck) ran up to the heaving man and pulled him away.

Theodore could still hear strangers voices calling out his name in the distance. It made him cringe every time someone mentioned how they wanted to help or his parents. absentmindedly, Theodore couldn't help but think this is exactly why Auradon should never had banned magic. This whole thing could have been avoided with a wave of a wand and Theodore would have popped right back to the King for sentencing. Thank goodness for small favors.

Speaking of magic…

Theodore gasped as a strange, warm feeling washed over him. His eyes clenched tight in fear as a bright green light quickly traveled from his middle and spreading over his entire body. Theo tried to move but he found his body became paralyzed. He must have been louder than he thought because a pair of brown eyes peered down at him in shock before he disappeared all together.

"Well I found him."

"Really where is he!"

"He disappeared."

"What do you mean he disappeared, Eugene!"

"Bright light then poof! Kid's gone. Jeez, is this deja vu or what?"

* * *

Theodore gasped as he felt himself fall and land on a hard surface. His side throbbed in pain as he tried to stand but only managed to slip when his hand met puddle. He groaned, dropping his face into the growing puddle of water.

"Ted," A familiar voice sighed in relief as a pair of arms hefted his body into a standing position. Theodore still had his eyes closed when a warm body flung themself at him.

"Oh, Teddy! We were so worried!" the person holding onto him cried.

"Evie?" Theodore gasped. "W-wha?"

"Dude, you're all wet."

"Nice deduction there."

"Jay? Ca-Carlos? What's g-going on?" Theodore said as he final opened his eyes to see the girls dorm room. "How?"

"What would be my doing." Mal said, stepping into his line of sight and snapping her book shut. Mal looked at him up and down, biting her lip as she took in his miserable state. She sighed but gave him a small smile. Theodore felt relief course through him. They had forgiven him.

"Come on," Carlos muttered as he pulled the sodden teen out of Evie's embrace. "You need to get dry."

"Did you bring the stuff?" Theo heard Mal ask.

"Yeah, They're in the bathroom." Jay replied. Carlos ushered him into the bathroom and turned on the faucet in the tub. Theodore watched Carlos run his hand under the water for a few moments before the other teen nodded and turned back to him.

"Your clothes is on the counter," The teen whispered as he began to walk out the door. Just before he shut the door, Carlos turned back to Theo with a frown. "I'm sorry about the other day. We were stupid." And with that, the De'vil shut the door, leaving Theodore in the bathroom alone.

Finally shedding his wet clothes was a godsend to Theodore. The mittens even more so as they were the first to be thrown into the sink. Theo took a quick, warm shower before throwing on the clothes he had worn when he first arrived to Auradon. For the first time since he first got them, they were clean. Teddy looked forlornly at his scarf but left it in the sink with the rest of his wet clothes. The teen then walked out of the still steaming shower, still shivering violently from the cold.

Jay was the first to see him come out as he was immediately at his side, pulling him towards Evie's bed before pushing him down and throwing a few blankets over him. The taller boy didn't say anything as he sat heavily beside on the bed. Theodore sighed but didn't complain as the older teen threw an arm around his shoulders. Like Mal, even without saying anything, Teddy knew Jay had forgiven him as well.

It wasn't long after when the pair got settled on the bed when Evie ran over and began rubbing his right arm.

"W-why?" Teddy asked her curiously.

"You're freezing," she muttered as she glanced up at him and Jay who just tightened his hold. "Is there a spell that can help, Mal?"

"None that doesn't actually light him on fire."

"L-lets not D-do that, ok?" Theo muttered. Evie tutted before standing and disappearing into the bathroom then reappearing with a dry towel. She quickly walked over to him and began to towel dry his hair.

"Why don't you ever dry your hair after showing, Teddy? You know that's bad for you, right?" She muttered.

"T-takes to long." He whispered. Jay snorted but didn't comment further.

"You know half of Auradon is out there searching for you?" Carlos said as he closed the curtains from the window.

"Yeah."

"That's not all," Carlos continued. The other teen seemed to hesitate before dropping onto the desk chair. "Your… your parents were here."

"They looked like nice people," Evie said with soft smile. She then pulled the towel away from his damp hair and looked him in the eyes. "They tried talking to us but we left before they had a chance. Teddy, they looked nothing like in the pictures."

"W-whit dae ye m-mean?"

"She means they looked like shit," Jay commented offhandedly. "Like they lived on the Isle kind of shit."

"What Jay means to say is that your disappearance really affected them. They didn't give you up, Ted. You were kidnapped." Mal informed him.

"Hoo dae ye know 'at?"

"Ben told us."

"Fairy Godmother is the only reason no one is bugging us about you. We've been in here all day." Carlos said with a sigh. "Jane and Lonnie swung by earlier trying to get information about you. Turns out your disappearance was pretty big." Theodore winced at the mention of Jane but didn't comment.

"It's been crazy around-"

Knocking at the door cut Jay off. The teens all glanced at each other fearfully. No one dared to even breath as to not alert the whoever was at the door. More knocking and finally.

"Um, H-hello? I'm sorry to bother you kids but I was told I could find you here," a female voice hesitantly called from outside.

"We shoods be out there. Looking. Ah dornt understand wa Adam is makin' is stay indoors fu'," they heard a man grumble.

Wide eyes turned to Theodore, no doubt everyone figuring out exactly who was outside. Mal glanced at Ted for a half second before giving Jay a meaningful look. The older teen must have understood because not soon after was Theodore wrapped into a weird version of a human/blanket burrito and shoved under the bed. Teddy gasped in surprised but a quick 'shush' quieted him down. Theodore knew from experience that nothing good came from hiding under a bed.

* * *

 **Sorry for not updating for so long. No excuse just procrastination. This fic is almost to an end guys! thanks for sticking with me for so long. Sorry for all the mistakes and for the lousy chapter. I tried to finish it as quickly as possible and I dont beta my own crap. It bores me. Also if any of my current readers like marvel or superheroes in general, I'm planning on writing a marvel fic. that or a the Flash. I haven't decided yet and at the moment it could go either way. Could even be a crossover with Harry Potter. That's how early the stages of planning is.**


	11. Outtakes for the Secret Hatter

**Sorry but this is not a chapter! Just a bunch of outtakes I wrote during the Holiday. Sorry for any mistakes you may find, I wrote these in a bit of a rush. So I didn't read through them much. Not like I do that with regular chapters anyways.**

 **1\. Tourney Practice**

Teddy stared at the shield thrust into his arms for a long moment. He swallowed down his nerves as he glanced up at the crowned king.

"Do I have to?"

"No," Ben said with a grin. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try."

Theodore glanced around the wide field and winced at the sounds of shields and bodies crashing into each other. To his left, about twenty feet from where he and Ben were standing, Teddy could hear the frightened screams of players running from Jay. That guy was a bulldozer with legs. The orange haired boy shuddered at the thought of being tackled. He bruised easily.

"Come on, Ted," Ben laughed as he tossed the other teen a helmet. Theodore quickly caught the headgear mid air, dropping the shield on his toes in the process.

"Y'ouch!"

"Not very coordinated, are you?"

"Not when people throw random projectiles at me, no!" Ben laughed and slapped him on the shoulder before motioning him to get into starting position with the other guys. Teddy sighed and slowly made his way over to stand beside Cinderella's kid, Brad or whatever. He looked at the blonde for a second and mimicked his stance. Crouching low, knees spread apart and shield held up. Teddy saw Carlos a few ways down giving him a thumbs up but Theodore could only grimace. He wasn't one for such a high contact sport.

"Ready!" Coach called. Teddy felt sweat drip down his forehead in anxiety. He should had said no to Ben and stayed indoors with Evie. Working on that project from his dad with her seemed like a lot more fun.

"On my count!"

This was it. Theodore was going to die.

People stared at Theodore once coach blew the whistle since no one could hear the sharp note over Theodore's screaming.

"I don't wanna play!" Theodore cried as he threw the shield down and ran towards the school. The tourney team watched with mixed reactions as the orange haired teen vaulted over obstacles and slid around people before disappearing through the front doors.

"Such a shame," Coach sighed. "Kid could really run."

 **2\. Unexpected Understudy**

Teddy gasped for breath in the corner of the dark dressing room. They, as in Evie and himself, were asked to help the costume department for this season's play, "Cinderella." Teddy had wanted to say no, that he had just started to learn how to sew under the tutelage of his father but one puppy-eyed look from Evie made him reconsider. If he had known that for the next few weeks he would be running around, gaining more puncture wounds from stray needles than he would like to admit, Teddy would have said no.

This felt like the only moment he could actually just sit and catch his breath. Which did tell how busy he and Evie were since it was actually opening day for the play. Theodore glanced around at the other students rushing around backstage. Everyone was panicking, trying to make the show a spectacular as possible. Ben had told him it was always like this on opening night since it was the day most parents would show up to support their children.

Makes sense since even his own parents showed up to see how he and Evie handled the costumes. Teddy didn't say it outloud but the sight of his mother and father made him feel like all this days of preparations were worth it. He glanced over at Evie who stood near the stage curtains and grinned at her when she nodded toward whom he assumed was the audience. The blue haired girl quickly walked over to him and nudged him with a small smile of her own.

"They actually came," she whispered in awe.

"They did say they would," teddy said with a small blush on his cheeks.

"They're really proud of you, Ted."

"Proud of us, you mean. They came for both of us." Evie didn't reply but Theodore knew that comment got to her. In a good way he hoped.

He and Evie stood in the corner of the room, their thoughts wandering as students continued to move sets and practice lines. Chad, he finally learned his name, stat a few feet away from them. He looked awfully scared in his prince charming costume. Teddy could almost see the beads of sweat roll down his temple as he wrung his hands nervously on his lap. The pressure of retelling his parents story must have finally caught up to him. That and because Teddy knew the Charming couple sat in the middle of the front row.

Even though Theodore found it kind of weird that Chad was playing his dad's part in wooing his mother, he couldn't help but think that there was probably no other way to do it. Theodore watched as Chad stood from his seat, ready for the final scene with the glass slipper. The blond squared his shoulders and marched over to the main stage with the brightest, most charming smile he could muster.

"Teddy!" He heard someone whisper urgently to him. The orange haired teen turned his head to the direction of the voice only to catch eyes with a devastated Jane as fairy godmother.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he noticed the urgency in her voice. Jane didn't say anything as he grabbed both his and Evies arm and dragged them to the curtains they used as a changing room backstage.

"It's Mary," Jane cried softly as she pushed the curtains aside to show a pale, sickly looking leading lady. "It's almost time for her to go on but she just got sick out of nowhere! She can't go on!"

"Oh no," Evie gasped as she rushed over to the girl's side. "I think she has a fever." Teddy winced in sympathy as he watched Evie try to make the poor girl comfortable.

"We have to stop the show," Jane sighed as she handed Evie a bottle of water for Mary to drink.

"Cancel the show?" Theodore gasped in shock. The idea of canceling the show just before the ending was unheard of. Parents were out there waiting for the grand finally. His parents. They were all going to be so disappointed! Teddy shook his head and glared at the ceiling, he couldn't allow that to happen. Plus, he and Evie worked too hard on those costumes for them to not be shown off.

"Jane," he called with a heavy sigh. "Find me a wig." Evie glanced up at him with wide eyes, her train of though matching his.

"No, Teddy you can't-"

"Come on, E. It'll be fun," He said with a grin. "Plus, I've always wanted to be a princess. Since I was a little girl, in fact." Teddy ran over to the clothes rack and pulled off the garment bag labeled: 'Mary's gown. Final scene.'

"This is going to be bad," Evie groaned as she watched Theodore pull on the dress in a surprisingly efficient fashion.

Chad liked to think his parents love story was a classic; one of the best the kingdom has heard of. The school liked to hold these types of plays to honor the history of Auradon's heroes. Him playing the leading role for his parents story was only fair; even if he didn't have any acting experience before hand. He thought the whole event was going to be simple, act a little and say a few of his father's famous lines. He didn't feel nervous during the rehearsals. Nor during the first or second fittings with Evie and Theodore. It wasn't until his mother wished him luck before leaving to school that morning when the nerves finally hit him.

This was his parents story. One that he was going to play an acting role in. He couldn't mess things up, not while they were watching.

Chad swallowed nervously, clutching the plastic slipper prop tightly as he walked further onto the stage. He didn't dare glance into the crowd of attentive faces, not even at the familiar blue eyes of his mother. This had to be perfect.

"Is there another young maiden in this home willing to try on the slipper?" He recited to the crowd. Chad stood confused as the no one called back to him like in rehearsal. That was Mary's cue to come in. "Um, I said, Is there another young maiden in this home willing to try on the slipper?" He tried again, his voice edging on despret. He and the audience waited in bated breath for a few moments as the silence seemed to stretch on.

"Yeah, yeah. Give me a minute, buddy," A masculine, very much not mary voice called out. "Keep your pants on and I'll be down in a sec. Give a lady some time to look good." A few people chuckled in shock and amusement. Things were starting to get interesting. A few seconds later, a boy, no 'Cinderella', in 'her' servant gown strutted over to Prince Charming. Thier cheeks blazing red and blond hair in a disarray.

'Cinderella' looked over at the audience, nodding his head in greeting at a certain pair in the crowd howling in laughter towards the back before turning back to Chad with a grin.

"Yo," 'Cinderella' greeted lifting his fist up in greeting. Chad still in shock only bumped his own fist, still confused as to what was going on. "I heard you found my shoe?"

 **3\. Retellings**

"So you followed a rabbit down a hole," Teddy repeated as he eyed the sewing needle carefully. He lined the thread up to the eye of the needle and tried to stick it through. 'Tried' being the key word. "Damn."

"Language, sweetheart," Alice said with a quiet laugh.

"Sorry," Teddy replied, though he wasn't very much sorry at all. "Ok so down a hole and then you married dad?" Alice giggled and shook her head as she walked over to her son's side. Oh how that sentence made her heart jump for joy. Life could not get better than this; her son was home and he was staying home. However, that wasn't the only reason why her life was so perfect.

"Huh," Jay huffed around the apple he was eating from his seat on the counter top. "That was anticlimactic."

"Big words there, Jay. You should be careful or you might just hurt yourself," Mal commented from across the room of the tailor shop. All five kids from the isle looked like they were at home in the small shop she and Hatter ran. It seemed like lately there was never a silent moment in her small home anymore. There was always shouts and laughter running through the halls. While the kids were a bit standoffish at first, she and Hatter were able to break through their rough exterior. It was tough but Alice found she didn't mind their company.

She grew to love them like they were her own children. She loved that her home was once again filled with noise and energy. She loved that she not only seemed to regain her child but gained four more in the process.

"Well there were some significant events that occurred between those two points in time but sure, pretty much." Her beloved husband replied, his eyes never straying from Evie's intricate stitching.

"Get to the good parts already!" Carlos groaned.

' _Yes, things could not get any better,'_ Alice thought as she looked away from her growing family with a smile.

"...Can we get a walrus?"

And it seemed like it wasn't going to stop growing anytime soon.

 **4\. A Villain's Christmas**

Teddy stared at the tree his father and Jay struggled to pull in through the door. He glanced over at Carlos sitting beside him with the game controller slack in his hands. He too seemed confused with the strange turn of events. The orange haired teen opened his mouth to question their sanity but only a strangled sound came. His mother followed right behind the pair carrying a tree carrying a large cardboard box labeled 'Christmas.' She skipped right over to him and Carlos and dumped their box right at the feet.

"Are you two going to help decorate?" She asked with her hands on her hip, sparkling blue eyes staring down at them. Carlos turned his head to Teddy and gave him a silent look.

"Decorate what?" Teddy asked cautiously.

"The tree apparently," Jay huffed as and Hatter pushed the tree up into a standing position on top of this… metal doohickey. The long haired teen stood back, dusting his hands and threw himself onto the free space on the couch. "Some weird holiday these people subject themselves into."

"Wait!" Hatter huffed as he wiped the sweat gathering on his brow. "You— you boys never heard of Christmas?" Teddy, Jay, and Carlos gave him a deadpanned look. "Of course you haven't," The man sighed.

"Well," Carlos awkwardly prompted after a moment of silence. "What is it?"

Hatter looked over at Alice with a small, pained grin. His wife nodded and sat on the ground facing the teenage boys. Hatter followed her example only with much less grace.

"Alright then, Christmas is a holiday celebrated on December 25. It's a joyful holiday where family and friends get together—"

 **5\. Royal visit**

"So— um, what do you do for fun?" Ben asked awkwardly.

"Besides jumping people," Chad grouched. Ben elbowed the blonde in the gut in irritation. Audrey groand at her friend's rudeness and gave the other teens a tight smile.

"Don't mind him," She said.

"Don't worry about it, lass," Teddy laughed, his teeth baring into a predatory grin. "I understand how… tough this must be."

"No. Chad is just being—"

"A jerk, rude, how about idiotic. Any of those would fit just perfectly." Evie growled.

"E," Mal warned lightly. "We are entertaining royals." She mockingly said, though she smiled apologetically to Ben. Evie rolled her eyes but turned to Doug and tried to ignore the blonde headed prince as best as she could.

"'What we do for fun?' huh," Jay asked himself before turning to Teddy and Carlos with a shit-eating grin on his face. "Where do I start? Well stealing for starters."

"— gambling."

"—Looting," Evie piped in with a dark laugh.

"— Oh, don't forget vandalism!"

"—and if we feel especially evil— I mean Jolly," Mal said casually as she looked at her manicured nails for any imperfections. "We kidnap small children and make a nice stew."

Ben, Audrey, Chad, and Doug stared at the isle kids with mixed feelings of fear, amusement, and a little disgust.

"Are y-you serious?" Chad squeaked. Teddy glanced over at the prince and laughed madly, prompting the other isle kids to laugh at their little 'joke.'

"Of course we are," he mocked. "I mean, it's not like we could watch tv. There's nothing on besides those stupid 'Be good' commercials from king Beast."

 **I may or may not be procrastinating on that ending. Anyways, please tell me if you like these short stories. I might write more. Give me ideas. I need love. Especially after that roast session I got from my family. And I'm not talking about the stupid turkey.**


	12. Awkward First Meetings

**Chapter 12- Awkward First Meetings**

Teddy bit his lip in worry as he pulled the blanket that had fallen down with him tighter around his still cold body. He watched with wary eyes as two pairs with unfamiliar footwear hesitantly entered the room. They shouldn't be here. In fact, Theodore shouldn't have been here either. The teens heart thudded painfully in his chest. His eyes began to sting from not blinking for so long. Theodore's lungs ached as he momentarily forgot how to breath. A pair of black flats stepped closer, almost three feet away from his face.

The teen pressed his palms over his mouth, frantically trying to cover up any noise he may emit. The floorboards creaked under the weight of two, full grown adults. The room remained silent for a moment. Theodore could almost imagine the looks of shock on his— friends faces? Were they friends again? Teddy jumped a little when he heard someone clear their throat.

"You must be Mal," a unfamiliar, feminine voice said. Teddy dropped his head down onto the hardwood floor, his chest heavy with remorse. Theodore had no doubt who that voice belonged to. A huge part of him wished he could face her. Speak to her. Anything.

Theodore's heart wanted him to jump out from under the bed, embrace his parents in a way he always secretly fantasized in doing. He had so many questions he wanted to ask; So many things he wanted to say to them, and most of all, he just wanted to see what they looked like. The portrait at the museum was nothing compared to the real thing. Plus, that painting must have been old since he was depicted as a baby in it.

"What do you want," he heard Mal ask with a barely concealed growl. Theodore gave a small smile at that. Even if Mal was mad at him, she still cared for him. Even if it only a little.

Mal glanced over at the odd couple standing before her and the others. Her usually calm facade seemed to crack the longer she waited for one of them to say something. The blonde woman was on the small side, only a little taller than herself. She was pale, her face contorted into a look of pain; an expression Mal couldn't help but sneer at a little. Such an obvious show of weakness would never pass on the isle. The purple haired girl couldn't believe this woman had given birth to her mischievous friend.

But then again…

Her nose, chin, and eyes; hell, her whole face screamed Teddy. From her small size and girly hands. Oh how Theo hated his small size. He and Carlos were always so small; they were the small teens on the isle. Carlos for the lack of food from his childhood, but Teddy… It was genetic.

Mal glanced over at the red headed man, and flinched at how damn colorful he was. His obnoxious hair was more than enough to scream crazy but this guy just had to add the clashing colors and polka-dots on stripes ensemble. He was tall, scarily so. The height difference between the man and woman before her was almost laughable. They looked like complete opposites. One posh and all fancy like and the other was eccentric, borderline insane looking.

Typical for heroes to go for their complete opposites.

"My son," The blonde woman finally said. "I want— I just want my son."

Mal felt her eyes twitch at the show of such expression. The woman's sadness almost tangible in the air. However, no matter how much she tried to ignore it, Mal felt herself soften in front of the pitiful woman.

"He's not here," Jay spoke up. Mal gave him a quick, grateful glance. She hated talking to people.

"Ye must be— uh, Jay," The red haired— no Orange haired man. With the dim lighting in the room, Mal mistook the man's actual hair color for a darker shade of red. Nonetheless, the change made the man look no less obnoxious. Just like Teddy, really.

"That's my name, old man," Jay said as he leaned back in the chair he was sitting in. "Don't wear it out."

"We didn't expect him to be here," the woman sighed, her face suddenly looking ten years older. She looked down at her feet, her thin arms tightened further around her body as though she were trying to physically hold herself together. "We actually wanted to talk to you," she said, her eyes resting on Mal's.

"Well then," Mal started as she walked over to Evie and sat beside her on the bed she knew Teddy was hiding under. "Talk. Just don't expect us to talk back."

"You know," Carlos piped up from his position in the back corner of the room. "It seems you know who we are—"

"Carlos," The orange haired man said, looking straight at him then glancing over at the blue haired girl. "Evie," He finished with a nod.

"Riiiight," Carlos said, stretching out the word with a sarcastic roll of his eyes. "However, we don't know who you are. Obviously your Teddy's parents but I can't keep calling you both 'Blondie' and 'Crazy' in my head."

"It gets confusing," Evie said as she looked up from filing her nails.

"Mah apologies, lass—" Carlos grimaced at being called a girl by some crazy looking stranger but thankfully didn't comment.

"Ah am Tarrant Hightopp," the man said giving a low, unenthusiastic bow. Any other situation, Tarrant might have looked welcoming and brimming in happiness no doubt, but that little act looked practiced, almost forced. "An' thes is mah lovely, full of muchness wife, Alice Hightopp."

Alice gave a half-hearted curtsey, Her eyes brimming with unshed tears as she glanced at each of the them. "Please," She whispered hoarsely. "Do you know where he is? What is he like? Does he—" Alice paused, he breathing became shaky as she tried to compose herself. "Does he know who we are?"

Mal winced, feeling a strange sense of guilt for keeping their child away from them. Theodore was literally an arm's length away from them as they begged for any sort of information for his whereabouts and wellbeing.

"We don't know where he is," Jay lied. "We haven't seen him since family day." Theodore's parents seemed to deflate with every word the thief said. Mal noticed the odd change of coloring not unlike when Teddy got in his moods. There was no doubt in his mind that Teddy and his parents had some type of magic in their blood.

"Describing him to you is impossible to do in just a few hours. I doubt Fairy Godmother would allow you to stay after curfew. In fact, I doubt she even know you two are even here," Carlos told them not unkindly. "However I can say that Teddy is probably one of the weirdest, quirkiest, and all around oddest guy I know."

Mal noticed that Tarrant seemed to become strangely proud at that.

"Theodore know's you two are his real parents," Evie said, her voice barely above a whisper. The room seemed to still as the two adult's heads snapped to stare at the blue haired girl. Mal nudged the other girl with her elbow, prompting her to continue as the stares from the near strangers were beginning to freak her out.

"He know's because his mom— adoptive mom," she added quickly at the look of Alice's face. "She would always tell him stories about you two. Unfortunately none where all that good."

"W-what do you mean? Who was his adoptive mother?" Alice asked, her voice sounding raw, on the edge of hysterics. Mal looked over at Evie, noticing how her hands seemed to shake the more the silence went on. The purple haired girl knew her 'sorta' best friend did not want to continue. She always was an emotional one.

"What she means to say is that Theo thinks you two abandoned him," Jay interrupted, taking no pity to the couple in front of them. Mal sent him a harsh glare, her eyes burning an acidic green.

"No," Tarrant whispered brokenly, his once bright, green eyes dimming to an impossible grey. "We woods never — we loved— love him!"

"My baby," Alice moaned in despair. Mal's glare hardened tenfold.

Jay took no notice.

"He thinks you two threw him away. He thinks you left him to a woman that hated you, therefore hated him. It wasn't bad enough that we lived with villains but at least they were our parents that actually tolerated us to some degree. But Teddy? His mom hated him," Jay told them as he stood up and stalked toward them slowly. "Especially because he looked so much like you," He growled staring at Alice with no concealed anger.

"Jay!" Evie shouted.

"Calm down, dude!" Carlos yelled as he rushed over to the taller teen and tried to pull him away. Alice began to shake, tears fell from her eyes and streamed down her slightly sunken cheeks. Mal stood from her seat. She could feel the tension escalating that and she felt a tug on her shoe laces; a silent message from Teddy to make everything stop. She at least owed that to him.

"Jay," she snapped before turning to the distraught parents. "You two should go." Alice and Tarrant looked shocked, both voicing their concerns and refusals. "We can't help you here."

"Lass—"

"Just go!" She shouted throwing her arm out towards them. An invisible force then came out of nowhere, pushing them out of the door and into the hallway. Mal briskly walked over to the door, prepared to slam it shut but a pale hand shot out and stopped her.

"Please," Alice whispered. "Who was his adoptive mother?" Mal eyes hardened as she ripped her arm away from the blonde woman.

"I think you already know," She whispered fiercely, slamming the door shut on the grieving mother.

A long moment of silence passed. Each teen waiting for the people on the other side of the door to either break it down or ask to come back in. It never happened. They listened to nearly silent footsteps walk away. Smart. The Hightopps must have recognized a defeat when they saw one.

Mal walked over to Evie's bed and knocked twice on the frame. A head of bright orange hair, still a little damp from the shower, pop out. Theo looked around the room hesitantly before pulling himself from out of the bed.

"That never gets any better," he groaned but didn't say anything further concerning the situation that just transpired.

"Ted—" Carlos started but was silenced from one glance at Theodore's haggard expression.

"Not now, please," he whispered. Mal sighed through her nose. They were wasting time. Coronation was tomorrow and they still had not let Theodore in on the plan.

"We can't worry over that right now," she said, her voice cutting through the awkward silence. "What we need to worry about is the wand we are getting tomorrow."

"That's tomorrow?" Theodore asked, his voice hard.

"Problem?"

"No," Theodore whispered. His head held down and hands clenched tightly into fists. "Not at all."

"Good," Mal replied with a nod. "Good, because we need you to do something…"

Theodore glanced around at the huge crowd of people with a frown. His job suddenly got a whole lot intimidating. Mal had entrusted him in creating some sort of distraction so no attention would be on her or the others as they grabbed the wand and remote for the magical bridge. Teddy had no doubt that his mere presence would cause the perfect distraction the purple haired girl would need. Auradon's citizens did spend a good few days looking for him nonstop.

Currently, Theodore stood behind a few pillars at the far left corner of the cathedral. No one could see him at the certain angle he stood in but he sure could see everyone else. Higher ground would have been preferable but the teen couldn't find access to the roof. Not with all the security lurking around.

Honestly, the security was a little much. If all the villains were locked up on the isle, what was their purpose of being there? If the security detail was for the isle kids in attendance then Auradon citizens were either stupid or just plain paranoid. There were only four of them; five if you counted himself. Even then the only real threat would be Jay and Mal. He, Carlos. and Evie could hold their own in a fight sure but against so many people would be impossible. Jay had his monkey like abilities to get away safely and Mal had her magic, but him and the other two? Well… They had grit.

At least Evie and Carlos were smart. They would probably figure a way out of a messy situation. So in all reality, if anything were to go down, Teddy would be screwed. Excuse me— Royally screwed. Get it? Coronation day and all that jazz.

The orange haired teen ducked behind the pillar as another couple walked by. He recognized them as Prince Naveen and Princess Tiana; followed closely behind an… Alligator dancing to the music he made on a trumpet.

Pretty cool but still really odd.

To his left, Teddy noticed the carriage that carried Ben and Mal were just pulling up in front of the building. The crowed seemed to quiet down as the two teens climbed out. Theodore was just glad no one seemed to hold any ill intent towards his friend. It would be such a shame if the girl were to be provoked. She looked really nice in that gown. A gown he was proud to say he help make finishing touches on. The ruffles around the skirt was totally his idea. He and Evie had stayed up till the wee hours of the morning finishing up the other girl's dress. Sure Mal had rolled her eyes at the amount of work they had put into it but Teddy knew she secretly loved it.

It was the only reason Teddy said he didn't mind if Evie wanted to use him as a test subject for future projects of hers. The girl really had some untapped talent there. Jay had made fun of him for his indifference in wearing a dress or skirt but Theodore just flipped him the bird and continued looking threw the girl's sketch book.

He couldn't care less in what people thought of him over what he wore. He had some damn good legs and he was not afraid to show them off.

Theodore's thoughts cut off abruptly at the sight of two specific people in the crowed. He hadn't thought about the pair since family day and in all honesty he had forgotten they were most likely going to be present. Mrs Potts and her son, Chip. Two people who went out of their way to help him in one of his lowest points. He really hoped those two wouldn't be hurt by what was up to come.

He would most likely ask for the two to be spared if Maleficent did go through with her plan to enslave all of Auradon. His involvement with the plan should grant him some leeway.

At least he hoped.

A deep part of his heart told Theodore that if this all went down, things would not go well with him. Malificent, Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella had no reason to keep him around. He was just a snot nosed friend of their children. It came to a shock to Teddy when the others took him back so readily. However, their parents had no special ties to him.

Especially when they find out exactly whose kid he was.

People began to make their way inside the building. All of them were chattering away in a mix of excitement and cheer. Theodore began to feel guilty for what was going to happen soon but he squashed the feeling down. He made his choice and there was no turning back now.

Theodore ran, in a way he hoped was undetected, towards the main doors. He slid and crab walked behind thongs of people, decorative pots filled with bright flowers, and thick, marble pillars. The odd looks he gained from people told him is discreteness was not at all discreet but screw them. He was having fun. Thank whatever higher power out there that the beanie and sunglasses stayed in place. It was a half assed disguise but he and Evie didn't have time to find something better. The dress really did take up all their time so the last thing on his mind was a damn disguise. In fact the whole ensemble came from a rather annoyed Carlos who just grabbed Jay's beanie and a pair of glasses said teen had stolen.

So really his disguise came from Jay but who really cared.

Theodore made a quick, sudden stop when he noticed a woman and camera man standing at the front entrance, no doubt giving some sort of closing if the woman's hand gesture had anything to go by. The lady waved at the camera with a giant smile on her face before freezing and adding something that made Theodore's heart drop.

"—Oh! And before I forget, the search for the missing child, Theodore Alistor Hightopp is still very much underway. Intel says that the last sighting of the teen was on Drury Lane two days ago. If you have any information, please contact Auradon city police. And Theodore," The woman's tone turned sickly sweet, making Teddy roll his eyes. If only she knew the person she was reporting on was standing only a few feet away from her. "Please go home. Your parents miss you very, very much. And this is Snow White Bringing you today's latest news from Auradon—"

Theodore shook off the odd feeling growing in his chest and quietly made his way to out of the courtyard and into a small opening between the two adjoining walls. No one was outside at the moment as Snow White just went indoors with her camera man. Theodore was alone once more. Thank goodness.. or whatever. Now all he had to do was wait for the chimes to ring and the 'distraction' will start.

Teddy knew something went wrong when he felt the earth begin to shake. The teen gasped as he tried to grab hold of something but he ultimately fell on his rear. The hair on his arms and the back of his neck stood uncomfortably on his skin. The air felt almost static-y, like when you rub an inflated balloon on your arm. Something felt… off.

The teen stood from his position on the floor, rubbing his bottom a bit to lessen the pain, and for some odd reason, he looked up. Theodore had no idea what possessed him to look up. The obvious thing to do was to find a place where falling objects wouldn't be a danger. However he was glad he didn't. Up in the sky, where you could barely catch a glimpse of the murky green dome that entrapped all the villains on the isle of the lost, was now pure blue.

No green in sight. The dome was gone, though only for a split second. The dome re-appeared in the bright blue sky as though it never left. Theodore hoped with all his might that he just blinked but he knew he couldn't be that lucky. Mal must have got the wand before the appointed time.

The orange haired teen quickly regained his footing and ran over to the open entrance and into the cathedral. He really didn't want to be left behind when the other four made their escape. Teddy raced passed spotless, white marble walls and floors. His breathing was heavy from the adrenaline pulsing through his veins.

Finally Theodore made it to a set of double doors that he knew the whole shebang was going down. Theodore grinned a little when he didn't stop to push open the doors and instead kicked them open. The way the wooden doors swung open and shocked the few people near it made him feel so cool.

Nevertheless, Teddy didn't let the moment hold him up. The teen heard a few people gasp and comment on his sudden interest, a few even recognized him and tried to make a grab at him. Theodore evaded the grabby hands and skidded to a stop at the center of the grand hall. His friends stood in a half circle just a little ways away from him.

"Hey guys?" He said giving them a half wave. "What did I miss."

"Teddy," Evie cried with a watery smile as he walked over.

"You're always late for the good parts, dude," Jay said with a roll of his eyes. The older teen pulled Theodore over to his side once he was at arm's length away and gave him a harsh noogie.

"Ok, ow, but seriously what's going on?" Theodore asked glancing at the shocked still people in the room. "Shouldn't we be running right now. There's like a shit load of people in here."

"Mal here finally changed her mind, bro," Carlos said. "We're going to be good now."

"You totally missed out on Mal's speech though. It was a real tear jerker."

"Oh really?" Theodore said to Jay and Carlos. His expression neutral. "Why the sudden change?"

"Probably the food," Jay said.

"Nah. man. I think it was Ben," Carlos said with a snicker.

"Love does change a person," Theodore nodded

"You guys are unbelievable," Evie groaned.

Theodore laughed, the first real laugh he had in a long time. Only that didn't last long when he looked out the window.

"Oh shit!" He cried. "Guy's the dome! It opened!"

"What!" a few people that heard him cried out.

"I was outside and the dome flickered for a moment!"

"The chances of a villain escaping in such a short time would be impossible." Ben said, making Theodore glance at the teen. Teddy blushed a little when he remembered where he was at and exactly who was present. Nearly all of Auradon in fact. Though he was surprised when he didn't see the two main people he hoped to escape from.

"Theodore?" A voice gasped loudly.

He spoke too soon.

 **Thank you for reading! Sorry for any mistakes. Next chapter should be the finale!**

 **This may be asking a lot but can anyone who reads this please leave a review? I hate asking but reading reviews really makes writing these things worth the time and effort I put into these chapters. Since the story is coming to an end, I really would love some feed back. Tell me what you liked. What you didn't like. What I can improve on as a writer. Anything. Hell, leave me a prompt for a oneshot. I need the practice. Some people had commented on how the last short story from the last chapter seemed unfinished. After rereading it, I found myself agreeing. I'll post an improved version of it in the next chapter. Once again, thank you especially if you read through this whole note.**


	13. The Final Hoorah

**A little something before you read the actual chapter.**

 **Royal visit (finished version)**

"So— um, what do you do for fun?" Ben asked awkwardly.

"Besides jumping people," Chad grouched. Ben elbowed the blonde in the gut in irritation. Audrey groand at her friend's rudeness and gave the other teens a tight smile.

"Don't mind him," She said.

"Don't worry about it, lass," Teddy laughed, his teeth baring into a predatory grin. "I understand how… tough this must be."

"No. Chad is just being—"

"A jerk, rude, how about idiotic. Any of those would fit just perfectly." Evie growled.

"E," Mal warned lightly. "We are entertaining royals." She mockingly said, though she smiled apologetically to Ben. Evie rolled her eyes but turned to Doug and tried to ignore the blonde headed prince as best as she could.

"'What we do for fun?' huh," Jay asked himself before turning to Teddy and Carlos with a shit-eating grin on his face. "Where do I start? Well stealing for starters."

"— gambling."

"—Looting," Evie piped in with a dark laugh.

"— Oh, don't forget vandalism!"

"—and if we feel especially evil— I mean Jolly," Mal said casually as she looked at her manicured nails for any imperfections. "We kidnap small children and make a nice stew."

Ben, Audrey, Chad, and Doug stared at the isle kids with mixed feelings of fear, amusement, and a little disgust.

"Are y-you serious?" Chad squeaked. Teddy glanced over at the prince and laughed madly, prompting the other isle kids to laugh at their little 'joke.'

"Of course we are," he mocked. "I mean, it's not like we could watch tv. There's on besides those stupid 'Be good' commercials from king Beast."

"Be what commercials?" Audrey asked, her head cocked in confusion.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about that, princess," Teddy said as he began to walk away from the group. Their innocence was really beginning to grate on his nerves. Jay sighed as he rolled his eyes and pulled Theodore back by his hood. Teddy choked a little by the sudden tightness around his neck all the while glaring at the taller boy. The whole experience bringing back… uncomfortable memories. Jay just shrugged in a silent apology at the glare the orange haired teen sent him.

"Well since we can't—"

"Won't,"

"—do the stuff you guys suggested, why don't we show you something fun we like to do here?"

"Like what?" Carlos asked. "Getting group crown measurements?"

"No," Ben said with a wicked smirk. "Something better."

The group of royal teens slammed their backs against the dark wall; their breathing labored and eyes full of fear. Audrey looked about ready to cry as she threw the fake rifle away from herself in hopes that that would be some sort of silent surrender.

"Bad idea, Ben!" Chad yelped as he ducked for cover as Jay's feet barely missed his face. "Very bad idea!" Ben winced in implication and sent the others a look of apology. Who knew for kids that never heard of lazer tag would take to it so quickly. Then again, the VKs always seemed to find new ways to surprise him.

"W-we should look for an exit, guys," Doug wheezed. "Let them kill each other." Chad and Audrey nodded in agreement then stilled when a shout from a certain group of teens reached their ears.

"Suck on this, dog breath!"

"Screw you, asshole!"

"Friendly fire!"

"Dammit, Jay!" Maniacal laughing from above the group of terrified teens made them freeze. The Auradon born royals looked up slowly, each wishing for whoever was in charge of the facility to shut the game down. There, standing in a crouch position on a low beam facing them, stood a rather insane looking Theodore. The orange haired teen's grin looked almost bloodthirsty, not unlike those from a horror film.

"Found you~" Teddy said in a singsong voice. Out of nowhere, the other isle kids flanked behind Teddy, their expressions bloodthirsty.

"Oh come on, Benny Boo," Mal mocked, her voice going high. "Let's play."

Ben looked back at the three teens behind them and gulped down nervously. He then glanced down at his glowing blue vest and then at Mal's and Carlos' similarly colored ones. There was no sense of order in this particular game of lazer tag. Things were going well at first. The teams went: in the Blue team were Mal, Ben, Carlos, and Audrey then in Green team was Evie, Jay, Teddy, Chad, and finally Doug.

Ben never would have thought the VK's would enjoy the game so thoroughly. It was frightening how quickly they seemed to regroup attack them. The points no longer mattered. The isle kids were out for blood.

"Ready or not, here we come!"

"No! Please!" Ben heard Chad cry as the four stood and ran for the exit.

"Guys!" He shouted, not looking back. "We. Are. On. The. Same. Team!"

 **Chapter 13- The Final Hoorah**

The look on the petite woman's face made Theodore cringe. The teen groaned, noticing his… mother's expectant look. She looked so damn hopeful that Teddy almost wanted to take the wand and zap himself out of existence. He really did not want to deal with this, especially not in front of all these people. At least his father was not—

Spoke too soon. The universe was seriously out to get him.

"Mah boy," a tall man gasped as he pushed his way through the thong of people to stand beside the other woman. Theodore threw his head back in exasperation and slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. The loud 'smack' that echoed through the hall was oddly satisfying. The teen then signed and crouched low to tie his shoelaces.

"Dude?" Carlos whispered from his side. "What are you doing?" Theodore didn't reply as he began to stretch his arms and legs. Teddy glanced at the couple, his parents, as he began to roll his shoulders back.

"Getting ready," he finally replied. Mal growled in annoyance and kicked the younger boy behind his knees, causing him to fall with a cringeworthy thud.

"Stop running and woman up, dumbass," Mal sneered down at the fallen teen. Theodore glared up at the purple haired girl before standing up and looking back at the two suspiciously misty eyed adults. Damn, they looked so close to crying. Which was bad because Theodore was a sympathetic crier.

Theodore groaned once more as he pulled the beanie he was wearing low over his eyes. He felt an explanation coming and there was nothing around for him to hide under. He waited for someone to say something, wishing for anything that he had never ran into the room. In fact Theodore totally forgot why he had done so in the first place. Which was why the loud boom made him freeze in shock.

"Oh yeah…" Theodore gasped. "About the barrier."

A dark green mist spiraled into the cathedral. Thunder and lightning raged outside, signaling impending doom. The crowed of people screamed in fright, no doubt realizing what was happening. Theodore glanced around at his friends, each of them adopted a look of fear. He glanced back at his parents who looked ready to grab him at any moment's notice.

"I'm back," Maleficent's shrill voice laughed as she appeared out of the thick green smoke.

"Go away, mother," Mal said. Theodore wanted to laugh. It wasn't like Maleficent would just _leave_. Especially after that entrance. Though he knew his amusement only came from the fact he was nearly shitting bricks. He rather die laughing after all.

Maleficent started to laugh. Her snorts echoed across the hall. "You're very funny," the woman laughed as she turned to Mal and began to snap her fingers. "Wand me. Chop, chop."

"No!" Ben shouted. Mal didn't hesitate. She turned to the fairy godmother and tossed her the wand. Fairy godmother caught the wand, barely, and began to swing it as she enchanted:

"Bippoty boppity—"

"Boo!" Maleficent finished. Her voice mocking as she raised her own staff high into the air. Teddy gaped as he whipped his head around to the people standing around him. They were all frozen. He glanced at his mother and father, their faces lined in such sorrow and fear that caused his heart to clench.

"Sike," Maleficent laughed. Teddy glanced back at her before looking at his mother once more. He never thought the first time meeting her would turn out like this. Looking closer, Teddy's eyes widened when he noticed her eyes staring straight at him. Her looked at his father and noticed the same. Teddy moved a little to the right and gaped when their eyes followed his movement. They were conscious, only frozen. Creepy.

Teddy took a few hesitant steps forward, ignoring the tension between Mal and her mother completely. He'll let them sort out their own beef. A single tear fell from Alice's eyes. Teddy smiled despite himself.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her. "I-I had thought you gave me up willingly. If I had known—" he stopped, his own eyes filled with unshed tears. "I was terrified that when you did meet me, you wouldn't want anything to do with me. I'm a villain. Maybe not born, but raised."

Teddy laughed a little as he turned to his dad and gave him a small smile.

"You know, if it wasn't for this spell, I wouldn't have the courage to talk to you both face to face. You see, I'm not the bravest of the bunch. Most of the times I'm literally shaking out of my socks."

There was a flash of something that went through his father's eyes. Teddy didn't look long enough to figure out what it was. He turned away from them and began to walk back towards the others but then he suddenly stopped. He turned back and quickly made his way back to his mom.

"I don't know what will happen today, but I promise I won't run or hide from you two again. I want— I want to make things right," Teddy paused and thought before giving the pair a sheepish smile. "That was a lie. I won't run but I'll maybe do a quick power walk and if you can't find me, check under all the beds. I'll more than likely be under one."

"And now I command wand to my hand!"

Teddy flinched at Mal's sudden shout. He stood beside his mom, eyebrows raised. "Wow, rude much. I was having a moment with my parents here," he whispered to his mom, his eyes staying on Mal's form. Teddy let out a shaky breath as he watched the wand be ripped out of Maleficent hand and into Mal's.

Theodore knew that Maleficent wouldn't take to kindly to the act of such disobedience. He could see the anger simmering, bubbling beneath the surface. It would only take a few more seconds before Maleficent blew her top. Teddy could only hope that the five of them would be strong enough to fend her off. The oranges haired teen gasped as Jay ran forward and tried to pull the staff out of the evil fairies grasp. It didn't take much for Maleficent to make Jay let go. She struck him on the forehead, causing Jay to fall back on his behind and stare up at her in fear.

"Enough!" She shouted, spinning as to look at everyone in attendance. "You. All. Will. Regret. THIS!" Maleficent shouted as a huge amount of fog covered her body. Teddy had no doubt in his mind that the evil woman was about to transform. He had once marveled at the stories of Maleficent other form as a child but seeing the transformation in person was frightening.

It all happened so quickly. A dragon flew to the very top of the cathedral ceiling and stared at his friends menacingly. Teddy couldn't help but sigh in relief when he noticed that the oversized lizard had not noticed him move away from the group. The winged beast flapped her wings as she raced towards his friends. Malificent's wings narrowly missing a few frozen guests. Teddy shielded his eyes as the dragon blew a huge gust of fire. He absentmindedly pulled his mother's arm and dragged her out of harm's way.

Teddy gave a huge sigh in relief as he turned to his dad before his eyes widened in surprise. His father's hat was set aflame. The taller man's eyes were pointed to the top of his head, no doubt staring at the flame. Teddy couldn't help but giggle madly as he reached over and swatted the flames away. "I heard you were a bit of a hot head but, da? This is too much!"

Teddy must have put too much power in his swatting as his father began to fall back slowly. Theodore, in his stupor, watched as his father fell back into the people behind him, causing them to be knocked down as well. Like a row of dominoes, the people on the left side of the cathedral began to fall. Row after row. It was oddly satisfying to watch as not a single person was missed. Theodore glanced up at the raging dragon and smiled as a brilliant thought occurred to him.

Teddy ran back over to his mother and carefully laid her down on the marble ground before moving to the other side of the church. He took great pleasure in pushing guest down, creating the same effect as before. As he ran by the rows of people, carefully pushing a teen girl in a wheelchair safely behind a pillar, he grinned when he recognized a few people from the school. The blonde prince who had threatened Evie during family day, the girl Ben had publicly embarrassed during the tourney game, and the boy Evie was no doubt crushing on if the late night mirror stalking was any indication.

Teddy smiled a little as he dropped down and layed beside the blonde Prince. His head turned so the blonde could look at him. Blue eyes met his. Teddy saw the fear in them which made his smile dampen a little.

"Damn it," he sighed as looked at the teenagers around him. They were all very frightened. The adults as well. "I wanted to say something mean to blondie here since he was such a jerk wad to one of my best friends, but that would be cruel."

Teddy patted someone's ankle before pushing himself up and standing above them. "Everything is going to be ok," he reassured them. "My friends over there are some of the strongest, bravest, and smartest people I know. They'll stop Maleficent no problem." Teddy gave the people below him one last smile before he booked it down the line and pushed any people that managed to stay upright.

Looking around Theodore nodded in satisfaction. Now that the frozen people were safe from Maleficent rage, Teddy could finally regroup with the others. Spotting them farther down the line, the orange haired teen quickly ran over to them. He grabbed onto Carlos' shoulder, silently asking him if he was ok. Carlos nodded as he clutched onto dude a little tighter.

"Magic mirror!" Evie cried as she pushed herself in front of the group. "Shine a bright light!" The light blinded Maleficent causing the winged lizard to fall into the marble ground. Theo glanced at the people nearest to her and sighed in relief when he noticed they were safely out of the way.

Mal pushed Evie behind her, shielding the rest of them from Maleficent's terrifying gaze. "Leave my friends alone!"

"This is between you and me, mother." Mal continued, her back stuff as her acidic green eyes bore into her mother's. Mal began to chant: " The strength of evil is good as mine when stands before five hearts as one!" Something in Teddy made him step forward. He was scared, petrified even, but Mal's voice seemed to come between that fear. His whole body felt strange as he stood behind Evie. His eyes solely trained on Maleficent's.

It felt like a lifetime had passed when out of nowhere, the same green gas as before poofed into existence. When the smoke disappeared, Teddy nearly wept in relief when he realized Maleficent had vanished.

Wait, scratch that.

"What just happened?"

"Did you do that?"

"I don't know!"

Teddy gaped as he was pulled along with the others toward the tiny lizard. It was Maleficent. He swallowed thickly as he turned to Jay with wide eyes.

"Holy—"

"I know." Jay breathed equally perplexed.

"—she shrank to the size of the love in her heart." Teddy heard fairy godmother explain. The teen flinched in sympathy as a glanced over at Mal but kept silent. "That's why she's so… Itty bitty."

"Is she going to be like that forever?" Mal asked as she lowered herself closer to her mother.

"Well, forever's a long time," the elder woman said with a slight smile. "You learned to love, so can she." Mal laughed a little as she handed the wand back to the fairy godmother. Theodore looked on fondly before turning to where he had left his parents. The teen groaned out loud as he finally realized what he had done. The others, including the fairy godmother looked at him questionably, urging him to say what was wrong.

"I knocked over a room full of royalty," Teddy sighed. The others looked around as well, clearly amused at the state of all these high class people on the ground. "If I wasn't in trouble before, I sure am now.

"Oh dear," fairy godmother said, though her tone was amused. She turned to Teddy with a slight smile on her lips. "I'm sure we can sweep this under the rug."

"Awesome."

"You all have earned yourselves an 'A' in goodness class," the woman announced fondly. "And I'll be sure to remember that when you start classes next week," she added to Teddy. Theo groaned at the thought of school but nodded his head anyways. Not much he could do about it now.

"Bippity boppity boo!" The fairy cried as she waved her arms. Almost instantly did the room come to life again. Teddy laughed as Ben growled menacingly to the air before Mal stopped him. The people on the sidelines all began to stand. Smiles and laughs of relief rang through the hall. Teddy grinned at the sight before a strong pair of arms lifted him from behind. Theodore's eyes widened in surprise as he was turned around and was assaulted with relieved hugs from his parents.

Theodore relished in the contact. He had dreamed of this feeling of love and warmth all his life. Nothing was said from the trio as they held onto each other tightly, as though letting go would separate them once more.

"Oh I do love a happy ending," a familiar voice cried from behind him. Theodore turned around once the group hug ended and stared at the strange blue man in confusion. "Oh don't mind me, kiddo. Go back to doing what you were doing. I'll just watch."

Teddy rolled his eyes at the guy but grinned up at him nonetheless.

"We have a lot to catch up on," his mom laughed with a watery smile.

"Yeah we do," Teddy nodded. From the corner of his eyes he saw the others standing with Ben. All of them giving him encouraging grins.

"But first I need to formally introduce you to some people."

Life after Ben's coronation couldn't get any better. Jay and Carlos were still on the tourney team. With special permission, Carlos was even allowed to join the robotics team which was only for juniors and seniors. Evie joined fashion club and chemistry club. She had also gotten a lot closer to Doug. They weren't a couple yet but there _was_ a betting pool going around the school gambling over when Doug would finally find the courage to ask Evie out. Mal and Ben were closer than ever. There was not a moment where those two were separated. Even after curfew. Mal continued to use her magic around school, and slowly but surely, the stigma against magic began to lift.

As promised, Teddy began to attend Auradon Prep. Classes were dull but the food was outstanding. He had yet to join any school clubs but he did pop in the fashion club once in awhile. Like his father, Teddy had a gift for fashion and sewing. Though also like his father, his specialty lied in hat making. Theodore had yet to receive a hat of his own. Though it was only a matter of time. His father told him that the honor of a Hightopp receiving their first hat was sacred so the one being made for him would take longer than another other old hat. Teddy for his part couldn't wait for the celebration that was to come.

As the Isle kids were no longer well received at home, questions on what would happen to them during vacation days arose. debates were long and tedious and they didn't stop until Alice walked in and calmly said that they would be welcomed into the Hightopp's home. No one mentioned the fact that March Hare stood behind her brandishing a teacup threateningly if anyone dared to object.

For the first time in his life, Teddy was genuinely happy. Every passing day he grew closer with his family. And everyday he felt like he was gaining a few new siblings in the other Isle kids. No longer were they afraid of the future but they lived in the moment. They were ready to kick ass and take names all the while drinking **warm** tea for once in their lives. . Life was good and would continue to be good… as long as Teddy's self proclaimed godfather would stop fading in and out of their home. It turns out Mal really was not a fan of pink cats.

However one of the best things that came out of this long journey was that no one called Teddy 'Theo' anymore. The name just really didn't suit him.

 _ **The End**_

 **So it's finally over. It doesn't seem like much since it's only about 13 chapters but guys... I finished it. Thank you to anyone who had read, favorited, followed, and reviewed this fic. It really means a lot to me. Someone had PM'd me about a sequel but at the moment I am not sure if I should. Descendants was a movie I** **instantly fell in love with when I first started watching it. I think I published the first chapter the day after it the movie came out? I really want to try writing different characters. Lately I've been writing Male oc as they are pretty different in contrast to female characters. I love well written OC's and Crossover fics!**

 **Teddy was fun but I feel like I didn't develop him as well as I could have. Originally I had written down a few characteristics for Teddy as I wrote him.**

 **Cowardly**

 **Emotional**

 **Funny**

 **Naive**

 **I don't know if I followed those closely. You tell me. How did I do? What did you like and what should I work on for my next fanfiction?**

 **Speaking of my next Fanfiction... Help me pick which one I should do. I have a few plot bunnies but I'm not sure where to start.**

 **The Flash**

A child oc that becomes a metahuman after the particle accelerator explosion. I'm not sure what his abilities would be yet but this will start while Berry is still in a coma and onwards. I was kinda cruel when I wrote the first chapter so this fic will have a bit of angst/ hurt and comfort. This would be challenging since the main character would be a child which already poses a few limitations.

 **Crossover with Harry Potter/ Kingdom Hearts**

I had written one already but it was deleted. My own fault actually.

 **Crossover Rise of the Guardians/ The Flash**

It actually just hit me right now. That one would be fun

 **Crossover with Avengers(or all MCU)/ Harry Potter**

I read one where Harry was a bit off his rocker. I forgot what it was called but it is one of my favorites. I love insaneHarry fics too so I wanted to give it a go.

 **I like crossovers more than OC's so if anyone has an interesting idea, don't be afraid to pm me or leave it the reviews! Vote for which seems the most interesting in the review section. once again. thank you to everyone who has stuck around this far! and before i forget again...**

 **I do not own Disney's Descendants or any of it's characters.**

 **forgot to add that piece in the beginning**


	14. Surprise!

**Surprised? Me too.**

Teddy glanced at the wall clock, the ticking seconds echoing painfully in his ears. Time seemed to have it out for him. When he wanted to savor a moment, the time flew by fast, however, when he wanted something to go by quicker like at this very moment, time slowed down. It sucked. The others had texted him saying that they were waiting for him on the Tourney field. That was eight minutes ago. Carlos had apparently built something and he needed able bodies to help test it. In all honesty, Teddy couldn't care less what the other boy had built or who exactly he had invited for help, but Mal had implied that someone he might be interested in meeting was going to be there.

It made him curious. Teddy could read between the lines. He was good at that. Mal was excited. Who had impressed Mal enough to refer to him? The girl barely tolerates her close knit group of friends and for her to be the one to possibly initiate someone within their circle? The teen shuddered in anticipation. After a long, dull day in classes, Teddy was ready to hop into bed and sleep the weekend away. Remedial goodness was plain awful today. The others may have passed with an A but Fairy Godmother insisted Teddy take the class as soon as he was registered for Auron Academy.

It had made him angry the first time she brought it up. Him needing classes on how to be a good person? It was laughable. It didn't help that Teddy had basically thrown a tantrum when he was handed his schedule, Remedial Goodness standing out as an extra seventh period. Even his parents had said it may be best if he took the class after that.

It was slow going but the class proved to be as boring and unnecessary as Teddy first thought. It was like a one-on-one tutor session with one of the most cavity inducing people Theodore had ever met. Don't get him wrong, Fairy Godmother could be G at times but her teaching voice grated him the wrong way. She was just so damn condescending; it frustrated him to the point he may or may not have acted out in one of his childish desires.

He pranked her.

It was wrong and Teddy knew he would face repercussions but he was just so damn bored! He did not live on the Isle for a little over a decade for nothing. The goodness around him was fine and all but it got suffocating after a while. He needed a reprieve and unfortunately, the blue headmistress got the brunt of his frustrations.

Of course he was caught. Teddy had come clean immediately after the woman had spring the trip wire. It was a harmless prank but Fairy Godmother had not been amused. So with her now glittery hands resting on her hips, the woman had sentenced Theodore to a six sessions of after school detention and community service. Meaning he was in charge of picking up trash in the courtyard for the next few days. She even called his parents and told them what he had done. The disappointment on their faces stung but Teddy felt lighter after the small act of disobedience. Too bad they had confiscated the glitter cannon Carlos had built. He wasn't even supposed to look at it, let alone use it.

Theodore groaned as he tore his eyes away from the clock and looked at the detention administrator pleadingly. The elder man had the decency to look a little sympathetic but he held strong, even under Teddy's pleading eyes. Theodore held his gaze, his bottom lip jutting out a smidge. Finally, after an intense staredown of Maleficent v Mal proportions, the man wilted and sighed.

"You will not tell the Headmistress?" He asked resignedly.

"You have my word," Teddy said, his voice squealing in excitement. The teacher sighed and made shooing motion with his hand. Theodore gasped in joy as he jumped up and ran towards the door.

"No running in the...Oh forget it."

Theodore didn't stop running until caught site of the gang. He became confused, though, when he saw a few others. There was Ben, Mal, Evie, Doug, Jay, Carlos, and Jane standing close together in a group huddle. He noticed them holding something in each of their hands as the whispered excitedly at each other. Evie glanced up, catching Teddy's gaze. She said something to the group which had an immediate affect on them. The seven quickly turned to face him, their hands held suspiciously behind their backs.

Jogging up the rest of the way to them, Teddy opened his mouth to say something when something crashed and exploded on the side of his head. The teen spluttered in shock as freezing cold water cascaded down his brow and onto his chest and arms. Teddy raised his arms to wipe away the water from his eyes before looking at the group in poorly disguised annoyance.

"Wha?"

"That's what you get for stealing my cannon jerk!" Carlos shouted. "I'm going to have to rebuild the whole thing! It wasn't meant for glitter. The inner mechanisms are shot!"

"Oh come on, Carlos, I said I was—" Another water balloon hit him square in the chest.

"And t-that was for my Mom!" He heard Jane shout. Teddy stared at the usually withdrawn girl with his mouth hanging open. His friends just stared back in triumph. Their eyes glittering with amusement and revenge. He could tell they were holding back their laughter do to the shaking shoulders. Glancing behind them, Teddy spotted a large orange bucket full of what he assumed was more water balloons and horrifyingly enough, a few bags of ice were scattered around their feet. Glancing around the field, a little way away from all of them, Teddy saw three, maybe four more different colored buckets filled to the brim with water balloons.

This was his punishment.

Teddy sighed, his shoulders dropping as he raised his arms out as an invitation for the others to continue their onslaught.

"Give it your best shot."


End file.
